Annual global climate strike takes place on September 24, with low attendance in Houston

By Viola Hsia 09/28/21 10:13 PM

September 24 marked climate marches across the country, including one in Houston. Rice Climate Alliance, a club dedicated to defending and educating students about the current climate crisis, did not participate due to poor organization of the Houston march, according to Clara Ursic, the treasurer of the Rice Climate Alliance .

Rice Climate Alliance was planning to attend the climate march in front of Houston City Hall, but it was ultimately canceled due to poor coverage and low early attendance in the Houston area, according to Ursic. . In comparison, around 2,000 students attended the March in New York September 24, with thousands of other demonstrations performing all over the world.

More than 1,300 climate marches were recorded worldwide on Friday, as part of Fridays for Future, which kicked off at the 2019 Climate Walks. Ursic said she was disappointed the Houston walk was canceled, especially since Houston is a big city.

“There wasn’t really an organized strike, or at least there was so little information we could get and there wasn’t really a big movement in the city,” Ursic said.

According to The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2020 was a historic year of extreme weather events, with a record 22 separate billion-dollar weather disasters in the United States alone. with current climate changes attributed to climate change, one being the fact that on average, there are seven natural disasters per year, the evidence points to irreversible future consequences.

Richard Johnson, sponsor of the Rice Climate Alliance, wrote in an email to Thresher that he believes the planet is currently approaching a turning point, from a climate perspective.

“Experts suggest that once we hit 1.5 degrees Celsius – in other words, when we add just another half a degree Celsius of warming above the a degree that has already happened – things are really going to go from bad to worse, ”said Johnson, executive director of Rice’s sustainability program. “And at 2 degrees Celsius – another degree of complete warming – we get into potentially dystopian scenarios. In short, we must be deeply concerned.

Johnson said climate change can affect some communities more than others.

“We need to be aware that the impacts of climate change fall disproportionately on historically disenfranchised populations, and as temperatures continue to rise, it will only get worse,” Johnson said. “Now more than ever, we need to look out for each other.”

Ursic also said climate change was having a disproportionate impact on people, such as low-income communities. Ursic said the most glaring problem for her is the fact that future generations will not be able to have the same opportunities that people have now.

“[Combating climate change is] to ensure that over time the Earth is fit for future generations, ”said Ursic.

Ursic said the Rice Climate Alliance has several projects planned for the next semester to take action.

“I think that as a university we could do a lot,” said Ursic. “For example, one of our main projects is the Divestment Initiative. We try to do a lot of research on phasing out fossil fuels and then reinvesting in renewables.”

Johnson said all students are involved in the climate crisis, even if they are not associated with a particular cause.

“You’re already involved whether or not you identify yourself as part of a particular climate cause,” Johnson said. “Be energized by the thought that we collectively have the opportunity to remake the world for the better. This is not the situation we asked for, but it is the decisive moment that is upon us.