🌍 Fridays for Future — Study Materials

🌍 What is Fridays for Future?
Type of movement
Global climate movement
Young people skip school on Fridays to protest climate change
Started
2018
Greta Thunberg, 15 years old, Sweden
Main demand
Governments must act!
Respect the Paris Agreement, listen to scientists
Protest method
School strikes
Students skip school on Fridays to protest
👧 Greta Thunberg
Who
Swedish girl, 15 in 2018
Action
3-week solo school strike
Outside the Swedish parliament, August 2018
International events
COP24 (UN Climate Summit)
Spoke at United Nations climate conference in Poland
Impact
Started global movement
Her protest went viral and inspired millions worldwide
📝 The Paris Agreement
What
International climate treaty
Signed
2015
Countries
195 + European Union
Goal
Keep warming below 2°C
Ideal: 1.5°C — this is the target scientists recommend
USA out
2020 (Trump)
USA back in
2021 (Biden)
The USA left the Paris Agreement in 2020 under President Trump, then rejoined in 2021 under President Biden. This was a major political event in global climate policy!
📖 Key Vocabulary
Climate change
Changes in Earth's temperature and weather due to human activity
Strike
To skip school/work to protest
Placard
A protest sign or banner
Environmental activist
A person who fights to protect the environment
Demands
What protesters ask from governments
COP
Conference of the Parties — UN climate summits
⚖️ PRO vs CONTRA — Debate
PRO — Why it's a good idea:

• Governments listen more when millions of young people protest

• Climate change is a real and urgent problem

• Scientists say we must act NOW

• Democracy: everyone has the right to protest
CONTRA — Why some disagree:

• Skipping school doesn't help the climate directly

• Students miss important lessons

• You can protest on weekends too

• It's not fair that young people have to do the politicians' job
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