A crowd of overwhelmingly school-age Guyanese staged a ‘Guardians of the Earth’ Rally last Sunday to coincide with the closing of the week-long ‘Climate Strike’ activities by students around the world.
Sponsored by Policy Forum Guyana (PFG) and two University of Guyana student organizations – the UG Geography Society (UGGS) and the UG Female Empowerment Movement (UGFEM), the rally began at the National Library and wended its way to the Sea-wall Bandstand via Camp Street.
A release from the PFG said that the event attracted ten educational institutions, who brought their banners, messages, costumes and enthusiasm aimed at demanding greater urgency around the climate crisis.
The release said that popular themes on placards and speeches focused on the need for young people to assume the burden of creating a response to the climate crisis. Following an enthusiastic competition for ‘best chant’ – won by Bishops’ High, – prizes were distributed for ‘best banner’, ‘best placard’ and ‘largest contingent’. The release said that winners in the respective category were the Government Technical Institute, Marian Academy and the Lusignan Good Hope Learning Centre and LBI Primary.
Michelle Kalamandeen, a specialist in remote sensing of de-forestation warned “Climate change is here whether we like it or not. This isn’t about saving the planet for our children or grandchildren anymore. The future has come to meet us. We’re not waiting for it or for someone to rescue us, we’re not trying to fend it off – we’re living in it. It is NOW and it is US!”
