SANDY COVE, N.S. — People marched in major cities. They marched in small towns. They marched in countries throughout the world.
But no matter their geographical location they all shared something in common, including in Sandy Cove, Digby County, where people also participated in a worldwide climate strike on Friday, Sept. 27.
“The main message was to demand climate action and to stand in support of all those marching around the world,” said Gwen Wilson, who organized the climate strike in Sandy Cove with her friend Melissa Merritt.
Throughout the world millions of people took part in climate strikes, demanding change and action from politicians, governments and business leaders in the face of growing concern over the climate crisis and the environment.
The global strikes were inspired by 16-year-old Swedish youth activist Greta Thunberg, who marched in Montreal last Friday where she told the crowd that climate crisis is an international emergency and political leaders across the globe – including here in Canada – need to do more to confront it.
About 30 people attended the climate strike in Sandy Cove to add their voices to the issue.
“I asked all the participants to say why they were marching. Many said they were there for their grandchildren. Some said they were there for the planet, for all living things. Some were there to protest the fossil fuel industry,” Wilson said.
“I think it would be fair to say that everyone had a common goal, that being to demand action from our governments,” she said. “People are fed up with the lack of meaningful action.”
People carried signs that read: ‘We only have one earth,’ ‘No jobs on a dead planet,’ ‘Planet over profit,’ ‘Act now’ and ‘There is no Planet B’ – a play on the words Plan B.
Despite being a small, isolated rural community, with a permanent population of less than 70 people, Sandy Cove is no stranger when it comes to adding voices to global movements. In the past three years people have gathered in January to take part in an annual women’s march held here.
Most of the participants for the climate strike came from Sandy Cove, while others came from Weymouth and the valley, Wilson said. Some summer residents from Ontario and the U.S. also participated.
The largest climate strike in Nova Scotia occurred in Halifax where an estimated 10,000 people made their way through Halifax streets in support of, and to demand, climate crisis action. Many youth took part in that climate strike saying they are concerned about the future.
