Youth Climate Strike in Edinburgh

Approximately 20,000 people marched through the City of Edinburgh on Friday September 20, 2019. Organised by Edinburgh’s Youth Climate Strike, the march protested the lack of policy development, global awareness and action to combat climate change.

A number of people’s signs addressed the inaction by local and global politicians including America’s current president. They also addressed rising sea levels, the global temperature rising, melting ice caps and to make the point that there is no, ‘Planet B’.

One of the organisers, Sandy Boyd, 15, spoke on stage once the march reached its completion. He addressed the fact that the local council threatened protesters with arrest if they stepped foot on Princes Street. Although the council previously declared a climate emergency, the education committee restricted pupils to one day of action a year without consequences. The local police had no objection to the march.

“We’ve seen something that hasn’t been achieved in years,” Mr Boyd said.

“We have dragged it back into the agenda. I want to thank every single person here today. Please do not stop, keep going and keep fighting.”

Multiple studies published in peer-reviewed scientific journals show that 97 percent or more of actively publishing climate scientists agree*: Climate-warming trends over the past century are extremely likely due to human activities. In addition, most of the leading scientific organisations worldwide have issued public statements endorsing this position. Temperature data showing rapid warming in the past few decades, the latest data going up to 2018.

According to NASA data, 2016 was the warmest year since 1880, continuing a long-term trend of rising global temperatures. The 10 warmest years in the 139-year record all have occurred since 2005, with the five warmest years being the five most recent years.

“Technically, a “consensus” is a general agreement of opinion, but the scientific method steers (NASA) away from this to an objective framework.

In science, facts or observations are explained by a hypothesis (a statement of a possible explanation for some natural phenomenon), which can then be tested and retested until it is refuted (or disproved).”

Even if you’re of the opinion that global warming and climate change isn’t real or isn’t happening, think about the possibility that it is, that the facts are facts and what that means for the future of children across the world. There’s a great possibility that whole generations pretty soon are going to be inconvenienced by increased sea levels, extended seasons, temperatures not cooling down enough over winter in some places for species and bacteria to die off as part of their natural pattern (such as ticks in the Northern Hemisphere – which is already happening).

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