by The Cowl Editor on September 26, 2019
Arts & Entertainment
by Anne DeLello ’20 A&E Staff
This past week on Sept. 20 and Sept. 27, 150 countries participated in two global strikes for climate change. Citizens around the world rallied behind 16-year-old Greta Thunberg, the Swedish activist who initiated the strike, banding together to “demand an end to the age of fossil fuels,” according to the Global Climate Strike website.
Thunberg herself has been active on social media regarding the climate strike. In a tweet on Thursday, September 19, the night before the strike, the teen tweeted, “Tomorrow we strike back! Global Climate Strike September 20-27: 5225 events / In 156 countries / On all 7 continents / And counting!” She concluded with, “Spread the word and see you in the streets!” and included the hashtags #fridaysforfuture and #climatestrike at the end of her rallying tweet.
Thunberg and ordinary citizens are not the only ones taking the time to support these issues. They are joined by a group of celebrities who have made their support for this cause very clear as well. Young artist Maggie Rogers spoke up about her views on the climate crisis. Eilish even went so far as to post an Instagram video of herself in an outfit that had the words “tick tock” all over it with the caption, “TICK TOCK! our time is running out. the climate crisis is very real. we need to speak up and demand our leaders take action.” Eilish used the same hashtags present in Thunberg’s tweet.
Eilish is not the only one who spoke up on social media the day of the worldwide stirkes, including. Participants of the strike often used song lyrics to get their message across, some of which were noticed by the artists themselves. Popular “Truth Hurts” singer Lizzo posted one of these to her own Instagram page, a sign that read, “I just took a DNA test turns out I’m 100% freaking terrified for our future,” with the caption “#climatechange.”
John Legend joined Eilish, Lizzo, and many other artists in their attempts to raise awareness for the climate strike. He tweeted, ”Young artists are challenging us to confront the realities of the climate crisis. Join me as I stand with @amnestyusa and @GretaThunberg today as we strike for climate. Strikewithus.org #ClimateStrike #StrikeWithUs #AmbassadorOfConscience.” His tweet was coupled with a graphic that stated, “Act On Your Conscience pointing towards a sign that read, “Strike for Climate.”
Artists are using their influence to help Thunberg and the people around the world who are actively trying to create change regarding the climate crisis. Their followers on social media spread their messages even further, and the amount of influence that celebrities like Legend, Lizzo, and Eilish have significantly increased awareness for the climate change movement.