Hundreds of LSE Students Strike for The Climate

At 11am on Friday 15th March, students from every corner of LSE congregated outside the SU to strike for action on climate change. Joined by students from Imperial College London, UCL, and SOAS, thousands marched to Parliament Square to protest a lack of climate action.

For many, this was their first climate strike, and indeed their first ever protest. Bea Link, a Social Anthropology student commented that because the student body at the LSE was so enthusiastic, “to not go would be an act of choice”.

Shortly after the protest began, groups of university students from all over central London were joined by children who were striking from their classes to protest the lack of action. One student from Imperial College London told The Beaver: “It’s so encouraging to be joined by so many younger people here. It really makes marching here feel even more worthwhile”.

The worldwide climate protests were inspired by 16 year-old Swedish student Greta Thunberg, who has since been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for her activism on climate change. Another student from Imperial suggested that “this is a now or never policy. If we don’t act now, we will never have the chance to again.”

“LSE has their own place within climate change”, argued Emily Douglas, a first year Geography student. “I appreciate the small-scale changes they’re making, like more water fountains, but ultimately they still can be quite hypocritical”, noting their continued use of plastics. “Climate change is a huge part of what I study as a Geography student, and I think it’s vital for people, whatever they study, to realise that we need to take action against global warming now”.

The youth climate strike in London was joined by strikes all over the world, including Australia, India, Uganda, and the USA. “If not today, then when?” said Mathematics and Economics student Kristian Szwedziuk, “When there’s so many of us here protesting – including so many high school kids, you have to believe that showing up will pressure governments to listen.”