Climate activists rally at Manitoba legislature

“Save our Planet.” That’s the message coming from demonstrators on the steps of the Manitoba legislative building, as dozens rally for Global Climate Strike calling for the government to take action.

“There are a number of Manitobans who are gathering today in honor of Fridays for Future’s Global Climate Strike. So groups from around the world have come together and today are celebrating, celebrating that coming together and also demanding climate action,” said Bethany Daman, Manitoba’s Climate Action Team.

“We need to ensure that any decision that’s being made is asking how will this help and contribute to the reduction of emissions. At the very least ensure that is not contributing to the addition of more emissions.”

“Friday’s for Future” is a global movement started by Greta Thunberg to protest government inaction towards climate change.

A report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change shows that global emissions need to be reduced by 45 per cent by 2030 to ensure that temperatures don’t rise above 1.5ºC.

Daman says that current government actions aren’t geared towards achieving this goal.

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“So what we’re focusing on as environmental groups in Manitoba is trying to ensure that governments are prioritizing climate action to get to a point where we are reducing emissions at the scale that’s needed. Currently the plans, particularly provincially, do not show action that actually will bring us to the point that we need to,” said Daman

Manitoba’s Climate Action Team has highlighted strategies they want to see taken to reduce emissions.

“So we focused on four different areas how we can feed ourselves without the use of fossil fuels, how we can transport ourselves without the use of fossil fuels, how we can heat and live in shelters without the use of fossil fuels,” explained Daman. “Then the final lens that we’re focusing on is electricity. So what are our electricity needs in Manitoba in order to make this possible.”

Young environmental advocates from the O.V. Jewitt School also lent their voices to the cause.

“This is important to because we’ve been causing lots of garbage and we should do something about it,” said Preet Preet, grade 5 student at O.V. Jewitt School. “And most and most of the pollution comes from garbage and factories. And we should do something because some day the planet will die and we can maybe save it from not dying.”