Just a few weeks ago, thousands of school children took to the streets of Scotland in the name of climate activism. Vast seas of humanity standing in unison.
It was the premier event on the calendar of Fridays for Future, the movement created by Greta Thunberg, in which school children take the final day of the working week off to inspire action against the climate crisis.
The images inspiring, the message clear. After mixed emotions of pride in our country’s youth, and guilt in letting the protest pass me by, I wanted to take one in for myself.
Imagine my disappointment when the advertised meeting point of City Chambers was devoid of any cardboard signs that weren’t Spanish-speaking guides offering tours de Edimburgo.
I walked hastily over the cobbles of the Royal Mile, frantically searching for my army of climate soldiers. After weaving between engrossed tourists one too many times, I was ready to call it a day when one last glance at the original spot gave me what I was looking for. Well, sort of.
There wasn’t a megaphone, or a plinth, or a picket-line all the way from the Castle to Holyrood. There was four of them.
Four protesters, sat cross-legged on the dusty Edinburgh surface, with homemade signs placed sheepishly upon their laps. It wasn’t what I had imagined, but it made it all the more intriguing.
I decided to pop a squat with the climate quartet. I wanted to know why these kids were spending a sunny Friday in the Easter holidays perched in protest. And why they’ve been doing the very same every week for over three years.
Cora, a 16-year-old donning a jacket emblazoned with bright badges, was the first to try and put it into perspective for me.
“We’re here because we care about climate change and the impact that it's going to have on our lives and the people across the world who are already facing the consequences of it," she said.
There seems to be so much for the young people of today to stress over. I ask Harris - whose three-year sitting streak on Friday afternoons makes them the group’s grizzled veteran - whether their generation can be excused for having the climate crisis further down their list of worries.
“A lot of people aren't aware that everything is so interlinked, and that people might not be aware of the links between the cost of living crisis, mental health crisis and the climate crisis. And we can't just solve one of them, we have to look at them all together.”
Seán speaks to Robyn, Logan & Wiktoria about the climate crisis on this episode of the
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“I have heard a lot of people say recently that climate change should be at the back of our minds, but I think that's completely the wrong way of looking at it. We have to see climate change as a really big problem, because all these other things are only going to get worse if we don't take action on the climate crisis.”
I pivoted from our climate constant Harris to newcomer Niamh. She had been quiet as her friends articulated their reasoned frustration with maturity beyond their years, but her position as the group’s most recent member didn’t diminish her spark.
“I just feel like I saw so much so much anger,” she said. “I’d gone to strikes before, but I wanted to be consistent. It’s in the media all the time and the government talk about it a lot – nothing ever seems to be done though. I want something to be done.”
"We have had politicians come to us and say that they deny climate change to our faces."
This disgruntlement with established power was palpable across our four Friday protestors. Engaging with politicians has always been a key aim for the group. However, when one does manage to break down the wall of disinterest, the bricks are instantly restacked in order to block additional voices.
“Politicians like meeting with the same people again and again and again, and don't like getting introduced to new people," Harris said.
“I think that's because they like to build a 'personal relationship' with someone and basically find someone they can brainwash, that they can just talk at and not have to listen to what is being said, and then just keep meeting with them.
“We have had politicians come to us and say that they deny climate change to our faces. When we've tried to talk to them, they've just made it obvious that they're not going to listen to anything we have to say.”
The fourth member of the crew, Kyle, isn’t much of a talker. In fact, the only time I hear him speak during the group’s passionate discussion is to meekly assure the street painter to his left that he can keep an eye on his easel while the artist grabs a bite.
His near silence doesn’t make his stance any less impressive though. He’s still there. He’s still fighting.
My admiration for the young eco warriors grows as my bum gets number by the second on the hard capital floor. Before I can allow myself some relief, I seek theirs.
Could anything mark their goal as achieved? Could anything stop their weekly pilgrimage to their city spot in the name of a brighter future?
“Our climate activism is a lot more than sitting here every week,” Cora proclaims.
“Activism can just be educating yourself and making sure that you know exactly what's going on. Getting angry at the right people and understanding who's responsible for this crisis. I don't think that would ever really leave us.”
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