Gurugram Around 300 students of primary to high schools from across the city held a demonstration at the Galleria Market in DLF Phase-4 on Thursday, demanding urgent action on climate change.
They demanded that the Aravallis be granted protected status and that proposed changes to the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA), to allow construction in pockets of the Aravallis, be rescinded.
Holding colourful and pictorial placards and banners, the students marched around the market, raising slogans to highlight the urgency of the situation. They also launched a social media campaign — #VoteForYourChild — to persuade parents to think about their children’s future while casting their votes in the upcoming assembly elections in Haryana.
“Where is my bright future? Don’t ignore the climate crisis,” said one of the placards at the protest.
“There seems to be no urgency in addressing the climate crisis. Many adults are still in denial of the rate at which the global temperatures are rising,” said 15-year-old Rishika Gupta, a student of a private school in Delhi.
Gupta said she came to know of the protest in Gurugram through social media and carpooled with her friends to take part in the protest to urge people to reduce CO2 emissions. She also echoed climate activist Greta Thunberg’s words at the United Nationals Climate Summit on Monday, and said her childhood is being stolen due to the crisis.
{{/usCountry}}Gupta said she came to know of the protest in Gurugram through social media and carpooled with her friends to take part in the protest to urge people to reduce CO2 emissions. She also echoed climate activist Greta Thunberg’s words at the United Nationals Climate Summit on Monday, and said her childhood is being stolen due to the crisis.
{{/usCountry}}Others went around the area asking people to avoid using plastic and plant trees. Appu, a 13-year-old student of a school run by an NGO in the city, said, “We know that small steps, such as avoiding plastic bags and burning fossil fuels, can go a long way in protecting the environment.”
Thursday’s climate protest was the third such event this year in the city, in line with climate strikes around the world, in which millions of children are taking part.
Students from Gurugram will be joining their Delhi counterparts in marching to the Prime Minister’s office on Friday. Their most urgent demand would be the protection of the Aravallis, they said.