Today, I marched with 14-year-old Ben, who lost his friend Rosa to the devastating floods in Belgium this summer. I marched with Mitzi, who in the Philippines has had to to experience the destructive force of climate change her whole life. I marched with Thomas, who has to explain to his two-year-old daughter why our beautiful planet as we know it now, may only exist in history books by the time she grows up. These are just a few of the millions of stories. Everyone who showed up today has a story. Everyones future on the line, if we don’t act now. I am now looking at our leaders. By now, you have heard our stories. It’s about time you realize, you are also a part of this story. We need real, conscious climate leadership – and we need it now. There is no time to waste. It’s time to get #BackToTheClimate 🌏 @youth.for.climate @fridaysforfuture Picture credits: Jonito Aerts Arguelles
Today, I marched with 14-year-old Ben, who lost his friend Rosa to the devastating floods in Belgium this summer. I marched with Mitzi, who in the Philippines has had to to experience the destructive force of climate change her whole life. I marched with Thomas, who has to explain to his two-year-old daughter why our beautiful planet as we know it now, may only exist in history books by the time she grows up. These are just a few of the millions of stories. Everyone who showed up today has a story. Everyones future on the line, if we don’t act now. I am now looking at our leaders. By now, you have heard our stories. It’s about time you realize, you are also a part of this story. We need real, conscious climate leadership – and we need it now. There is no time to waste. It’s time to get #BackToTheClimate 🌏 @youth.for.climate @fridaysforfuture Picture credits: Jonito Aerts Arguelles
Friends who change the world together, stay together 💪🏼❤️ Waking up today, it still feels unbelievable how many of you showed up yesterday. I’m grateful for every single person who mobilized their friends, families, colleagues and played a part in yesterday’s success. Thank you. Who did you strike with yesterday? Tag your partner in crime below!👇🏼 Photo credits: Matt Jarvis
Today, we occupied the streets of Belgium in Ghent, Louvain-La-Neuve, Antwerp and Mens 📣🌎 – swipe to see the crowd! Why was today important? We are going toward a world of 3 to 4 degrees warming, which is a world no one can live in. This is not because we don’t have the solutions or knowledge to prevent it, but because we continue building a system that exploits people and planetary boundaries. Today’s policy-makers do not have things under control, although they want you to think they do. Currently our country, Belgium, doesn’t even have a federal agreement to put to on the table at COP26. We need to do more. Much, much more. This is why as @youth.for.climate will go to #COP26 to keep the pressure high, make sure people are informed and to hold our leaders accountable. Our participation is possible because of all of you who joined us on the streets today, and who have helped by spreading the word online. As the future generation, we are strong, loud and united. We will not give up, and will keep demanding a seat at the decision-making table. So get ready, because the next step is a big one: #COP26! 💪🏼🌎 #GlobalClimateStrike
Today, we occupied the streets of Belgium in Ghent, Louvain-La-Neuve, Antwerp and Mens 📣🌎 – swipe to see the crowd! Why was today important? We are going toward a world of 3 to 4 degrees warming, which is a world no one can live in. This is not because we don’t have the solutions or knowledge to prevent it, but because we continue building a system that exploits people and planetary boundaries. Today’s policy-makers do not have things under control, although they want you to think they do. Currently our country, Belgium, doesn’t even have a federal agreement to put to on the table at COP26. We need to do more. Much, much more. This is why as @youth.for.climate will go to #COP26 to keep the pressure high, make sure people are informed and to hold our leaders accountable. Our participation is possible because of all of you who joined us on the streets today, and who have helped by spreading the word online. As the future generation, we are strong, loud and united. We will not give up, and will keep demanding a seat at the decision-making table. So get ready, because the next step is a big one: #COP26! 💪🏼🌎 #GlobalClimateStrike
No trust without honesty. In negotiations and debates with policy-makers, we as activists are always asked to ‘work together’ with our leaders. We are asked to trust them. We are told that we are fighting the same fight. Meanwhile, these same politicians are lying about the consequences of their own policies, and protecting big corporations that greenwash the truth behind their business, as if everything is fine. They are ignoring the simple fact that ‘business as usual’ will not sustain life on this planet. It’s impossible to act as one front against the climate crisis, if our leaders continue to ignore, minimize and deny the crisis we are faced with. In order for us to work together, we must trust each other. And honesty is a condition for that trust. We must keep the conversation going, we must keep the debate alive, but we must also strike, until our leaders have no other choice but to be honest with us and themselves. Are you in? 👇🏼 📆 22/10/2021 📌 Ghent & Louvain-La-Neuve @youth.for.climate @fridaysforfuture
I hear certain politicians are condemning our strike this Friday. Interesting. Sounds like they are scared of our honesty about the crisis, while they continue to minimize it. Let me be clear: Those complicit to the climate crisis do not deserve to be called leaders. These politicians are directly responsible for the crisis as long as they keep taking greenwashed shortcuts, approving fatal policies and allowing the crisis to evolve right in front of their eyes. Their lack of courage to stand up for our future leaves us without a choice. We will keep on striking, and never apologize for being on the right side of history. See you in two days. 📆 22/10/2021 📌 Ghent (stadshal) & Louvain-La-Neuve (Grand-Place) @youth.for.climate @fridaysforfuture
As a reminder of what #Belgium is actually doing at #COP26 right now: ❌ Has no federal agreement on a common target ❌ Refuses to be part of high ambition coalition ❌ Has zero willingness to put pressure on international global targets And at the same time, we are preaching about reaching the targets of the Paris agreement while we know the 2030 and 2050 targets are actually leaving millions of people behind. At the current rate we will exceed our carbon budget in about 6 years. This means every next generation will inherit a world that becomes more and more uninhabitable as climate change will be irreversible. We are destroying the very ecosystems that are keeping us alive. By 2050 we will have more than half a billion extra climate refugees. In 4 years from now, half of the world’s population will have experienced water scarcity and adaptation costs for continents like Africa will become so high that they’ll have to use the financial resources for education, healthcare and food supplies. Don’t be fooled. We are not on track. To be honest, contrary to our politicians, we are today deciding that some lives are not worth saving. And we know people will die. Most often the people that are least responsible for the climate crisis and already live in vulnerable livelihoods and communities. We are here as activists to put pressure on these policies, and speaking the truth about what is happening is the essence of that pressure. Share this video. Help us to spread the truth. Help us to hold them accountable! 🎥 @thomas.maddens
Will Belgium once again fail to demonstrate climate leadership? 🤦🏼♀️ #COP26 The COP is the biggest climate conference in the world, and the 26th edition is kicking off this Sunday in Glasgow. In 2018 at COP24, Belgium refused to sign what was called a ‘high ambition coalition’. Basically, they failed to commit to the bare minimum of ambition in the fight against the climate crisis. This time around,Belgian policy-makers are expected to once again fail to deliver. Why? Because the Flemish government refuses to step up their game, and meet EU’s climate targets by 2030 and 2050. This is why our country won’t have a national agreement to show at the upcoming COP, on how we will take responsibility in fighting the climate crisis. This is extremely alarming, as we are running out of time and this is one of the last international collaboration moments, where we will be able to make a significant change. Tomorrow, we are leaving for COP26 with a delegation of ten young people from the @youth.for.climate movement. We must be there to make noise, to hold our leaders accountable and to defend the only way out of a catastrophic future: real, conscious climate leadership. Want to support us in getting our voices heard at COP26? Check out our crowdfunding link in my bio! 🌎 📸 Jonito Aerts Arguelles
Are you ready to make some noise? 💥 We at @youth.for.climate are so excited to see you all again on Friday for the #GlobalStrike in Ghent and Louvain-La-Neuve. Let us know if you’re coming in the comments below, and don’t forget to spread the word! Text your bae, call your mom and roast your friends who don’t dare to come. See you on Friday! 📸: Debby Termonia
Why do we still need to strike? 🌎 I recently had a conversation with someone who told me they didn’t join the climate strikes because it wasn’t clear to them ‘what we asked exactly’ and if anything is really changing because of it. Let me take a moment to lay it out for you. Science has made clear that we have less than six years before climate change becomes irreversible. This is because we would produce so many emissions and break so many ecosystems that they won’t be able to bounce back. This means that we need rapid and urgent action. Three years ago, we designed a climate action plan with more than 100 scientists especially for Belgian policy. We’ve given this to all party leaders in Belgium. All our demands are in there. This is about higher targets, a faster energy transition, enhancing biodiversity and much more. This plan has been ignored and disregarded since. Politicians have not incorporated this in their policies. In the EU, but also Belgium alone, our climate targets are way too low and the transition to renewables is not being prioritized. With current policies we are going to a world of 3-4 degrees rise. This is not a world we can live in. We are globally already dealing with water and food shortages, refugee crisis, extreme weather events, extreme droughts, floods and sea-level rise. If we don’t act now, these things will only become worse. Not enough is being done and we are about to inherit an unlivable planet. We cannot ignore the facts and need to put pressure on our leaders to show real climate leadership — at last. This is why we strike, and why we are calling you to join us on the 22nd of October for the #GlobalStrike. Spread the word! 📣 Picture credits @cherryblossom_d_photography
Today, the president of Palau told other world leaders they “might as well bomb our islands instead of making us suffer, only to witness our slow and painful demise.” This is what #COP26 should be about. The most affected people and areas who should have the biggest platform in the negotiations. So far we have heard many speeches about ambition, but if we look at the set targets, we are going to a world of 3 degrees rise. This means world leaders are fighting to create a world that will cross our carbon budget and leave future generations with a planet that becomes more and more inhabitable. At the same time, Belgium has no federal agreement on a common target. it refuses to be a part of the high ambition coalition, spends 13 billion euros a year on fossil fuels and has absolutely zero credibility or willingness to put pressure on the international global targets. I personally feel ashamed of our country for minimizing the climate crisis continuously and acting as if we are on track. Don’t be fooled. We’re not on track. We have a very long way to go. But the power of the street, is in the building! 🔥
WHAT A STRIKE 🥳 Glasgow was on fire today. After feeling so frustrated about all the negotiations happening at #COP26 it was amazing to see, hear and strike with this crowd of people. The COP isn’t just total greenwashing of ignorant politicians that are pretending to save the world. It’s also the most exclusive COP ever. All the people the are supposed to be here, are not here. Because of systems of oppression that are continuously being upheld by these same people. At the same time, Flanders came out with its new climate plan. Apart from being disappointed it’s literally just insulting towards millions of people around the world. I feel ashamed for the lack of responsibility my country is willing to take. Thank you to the amazing people with us on the streets today! You rock 🔥 and remember, power lays with the people.
#COP26, here we come! 🚊➡️🌎 Today we are leaving to Glasgow with activists and civil society actors brought together by @railtothecop . Due to the unequal distribution of the vaccins, many activists and experts from the Global South won’t be able to attend COP26. This is tragic, as these are the people that are experiencing the heaviest consequences of the crisis and ought to claim their seat at the table at COP26. All the decisions that will be made in the coming two weeks will have an immense impact on the different scenarios this world can go to. The climate crisis isn’t just about emissions in the atmosphere. It’s about human rights and global equity. It’s about reprioritizing from profit to people. Are we going to choose to proceed business as usual and create an inhabitable planet? Or are we going to wake up and realize we don’t need to choose extinction? We, humans, must decide what will happen. So what is it gonna be? World leaders, we’re watching! Stay tuned for updates here on Instagram or by reading my daily column at @gva 📝🌎
Mijn boodschap deze ochtend voor premier @alexanderdecroo Wij zijn de klimaatmarsen gestart omdat België zich niet bij de ‘high ambition coalition’ wilde voegen. Vandaag, 3 jaar later, gaat België naar de #cop26 zonder een federaal akkoord. De teleurstelling is enorm. Duizenden mensen kwamen opnieuw op straat de afgelopen weken om hun verontwaardiging over het huidige klimaatbeleid te uiten. België kan hier niet mee blijven wegkomen. De speeches zijn ambitieus. De acties absoluut niet. Het is tijd om de waarheid te spreken over de gevolgen van het huidige beleid. Momenteel wacht er geen toekomst op ons die leefbaar en eerlijk is, en dit komt omdat er geweigerd wordt de crisis serieus te nemen.
📢 School strike tomorrow! Who’s with me? There’s no point in sitting in a classroom on an unlivable planet. It’s about time policy-makers understood that. Let’s make it impossible for them to ignore us any longer. 📆 22/10/2021 – 12:00u 📌 Ghent (stadshal) & Louvain-La-Neuve (Grand-Place) – more info on our Facebook page. @youth.for.climate @fridaysforfuture
We need your help! 💪🏼 We have been able to put so much pressure over the past few months and now we need to take that to #COP26. In order to get there we need to be able to finance our trip, accommodation, food expenses, transport… For a delegation of 10 Youth For Climate members, this is a lot of money that we don’t have, as our activism is voluntary work from young engaged people. This is why we are 100% relying on you and those, able to support us financially to make this happen! You can find a donation link in my bio. Thank you for helping and sharing this message!🙏🏼 Together we can do this!
👏🏻 Belgium 👏🏻 needs 👏🏻 to 👏🏻 shift 👏🏻 to 👏🏻 100% 👏🏻 renewables 👏🏻 as 👏🏻 soon👏🏻 as 👏🏻 possible👏🏻 Yesterday, we met with Belgian federal minister of energy, @tinnevds. We made it very clear that we can not support any investments in new fossil fuel infrastructure in the midst of a climate crisis. For us, this is not about political games or numbers. It’s about the fact that a privileged part of the world is currently deciding to leave the rest of the world behind. The fact that we are even in a position to negotiate how much energy reserves we want is a privilege in itself. This should actually make us feel very uncomfortable because it also means aiming for targets that are leaving millions of people behind. We need a capital shift, we need to consume less, we need to work together internationally and we need to put pressure on the international targets. We are happy to see the big investment made in renewables, but it’s not consistent as we are still pouring billions into the fossil fuel industry. What we are talking about is a radical system change. Not symbolic. People’s lives are on the line here. We are definitely much better off than we were, but we need to be much braver than we are now!
⚡️ We need you with us again! ⚡️ Thousands of people took on the streets of Brussels on Sunday. We know the huge impact this had, and how important it is to keep the pressure on. This is why, on the 22nd of October, we will take on the streets again – this time in Ghent and Louvain-La-Neuve! 🌍 This is not about skipping school or breaking the rules, but fighting for a livable world. As our politicians are still not taking the climate crisis seriously, we don’t have an alternative and we need to show our leaders that it is time to take our future seriously. Click attend on our Facebook event and follow @youth.for.climate for updates on the upcoming strike! We hope to see you there ✊🏼 📆 22/10/2021 ⏰ 12.00u 📌 Ghent & Louvain-La-Neuve @youth.for.climate @fridaysforfuture Video credits @thomas.maddens
No more free passes for polluters! 🚯 Today, at the @tedcountdown event ahead of the #COP26, we interrupted a presentation by the CEO of fossil fuel company @Shell. A company like Shell has no place speaking at an event that positions itself as a “global initiative to champion and accelerate solutions to the climate crisis”. After Lauren’s speech, myself and dozens of other people in the audience walked out as a powerful statement against Shell’s greenwashing. We know that corporations like Shell are massively responsible for the climate crisis and continue to invest billions every year into fossil fuels by exploiting vulnerable communities and extracting their lands. This action was not about one conference, but about the bigger picture. We as activists will not now, nor in the future, contribute to platforming this kind of greenwashing. We need to stop shaking the hands and patting the shoulders of those responsible for this crisis. Shell will never be a part of the future we want, as long as they keep exploiting our planet and denying the past harm they’ve already done. If you agree, go sign the @tilt.green and @fyeg petition to kick polluters out of #COP26 – link in bio Thank you for the beautiful speech @laurenthesunflower
Why do we need your help to get to #COP26? 🌍 Activism is not a paid job. Although we work every day, most of us full time, no one pays us for our work. This is why expensive trips and conferences like #COP26 are extremely difficult for us to access. Accommodation, food and transportation in Glasgow are very expensive. To make sure youth voices are heard at the biggest climate conference of the world, we have launched a crowdfunding initiative to help us cover the costs of a delegation of ten young activists to COP26 next month. We rely solely on donations from those who believe and us, and want to support us in our activism. Thanks to our supporters, we can ensure we get to the places where decisions on our future are taken. If you are in a position to help, please do. Something that may seem symbolic or small to you, can make a huge difference for us. Every donation, big or small, matters! You can find a donation link in my bio 🙏🏼 You can also help by saving this post or sharing it on your story — make sure to tag me and @youth.for.climate! 🌍
Why do we need your help to get to #COP26? 🌍 Activism is not a paid job. Although we work every day, most of us full time, no one pays us for our work. This is why expensive trips and conferences like #COP26 are extremely difficult for us to access. Accommodation, food and transportation in Glasgow are very expensive. To make sure youth voices are heard at the biggest climate conference of the world, we have launched a crowdfunding initiative to help us cover the costs of a delegation of ten young activists to COP26 next month. We rely solely on donations from those who believe and us, and want to support us in our activism. Thanks to our supporters, we can ensure we get to the places where decisions on our future are taken. If you are in a position to help, please do. Something that may seem symbolic or small to you, can make a huge difference for us. Every donation, big or small, matters! You can find a donation link in my bio 🙏🏼 You can also help by saving this post or sharing it on your story — make sure to tag me and @youth.for.climate! 🌍
Three months since the devastating floods in Belgium ➡️ The crisis is far from over! 🚨 Volunteers and residents from the flooded regions are sending a clear message to the media and politicians: the crisis is not over. In fact, it has just begun. Many of the people in the region can’t afford basic human needs, such as heating for the winter. Many are afraid of new disasters or of falling sick, because of the cold and humidity in the houses. Many can’t put food on the table. Many are left without help for mental health issues arising from the crisis. These are real consequences of the climate crisis. In the Belgian floods, just like in all crises caused by climate change, the heaviest impact has been on those who are most vulnerable. When I went to Pepinster last month to talk to the victims of this crisis, I got to hear these stories first-hand. These stories need to be heard and these people need to be helped. As those affected by this crisis are also saying, the situation will only get worse if we don’t act now. This is a crisis situation and politicians need to intervene now.
📢 New mobilisation! Spread the word! On October 22nd we will occupy the streets of Ghent and Louvain-La-Neuve and we need your help! Join us by mobilizing your fellow students to skip school and demand urgent action on the climate crisis. We’ve seen the immense impact we can have, but we’re far from where we should be and we need you all to keep the pressure up! Stay tuned & spread the word! ⚡️
