Global movement against climate change: Citizens come forward to save planet

Mumbaiites joined the worldwide protests against climate change on Friday by holding demonstrations across the city. Around 10 schools and colleges in the city at

Mumbaiites joined the worldwide protests against climate change on Friday by holding demonstrations across the city. Around 10 schools and colleges in the city at Vikhroli, Malwani, Dadar and Bandra, among other places had also participated in the protest.

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The protest, inspired by 16-year-old Swedish schoolgirl Greta Thunberg, are being organised across 150 countries, where citizens are asking more action from their government on climate change.

Mumbai groups linked to the Fridays for Future movement, started by Greta in August last year, held strikes and discussions on Friday morning. Pooja Domadia, who is a part of the Fridays for Future Mumbai team, said that a week-long strike will be organised in the city, wherein her team members will go to school and colleges across the city to discuss the movement.

“We are a country where people do not understand what a strike is, which is why it becomes necessary to reach out to students and explain them about the climate emergency,” said Domadia.

Maheshwar Khetan, an architecture student of Rachna Sansad College at Prabhadevi, said that on Friday, college students along with professors spoke to other students about Greta and the work she was doing.

“We were supposed to have a protest, but a lot of students in our college didn’t know who Greta is. So we are having a week-long awareness drive, after which we will have a protest next Friday [September 27],” said Khetan.

Hundreds of citizens, including youngsters, joined an evening of peaceful protests, music and discussions at Juhu Beach under the gathering Global Climate Strikes. “There is a need to mobilise the youth, as it is happening in other countries. These events will create awareness about the climate emergency,” said Tanmay Shinde, a student of St Xavier’s College, Dhobi Talao.

As a part of their plan for the upcoming week, members of the Fridays for Future group plan to hold panel discussions, protests and interactions with the Koli community, which will be affected by the Coastal Road project.