Hong Kong environmental activists join global ‘climate strike’ to get green issues back on city’s political agenda
- About 100 activists skip work and march to Sheung Wan to demand action from government on climate change
- They wave signs, hand out fliers and chant slogans, including ‘no coal, no oil, keep the carbon in the soil’
Nearly 100 Hongkongers joined a global green campaign on Friday, skipping work in a so-called climate strike and gathering in the city’s central business district to demand action to save the environment.
The demonstrators – from the local groups Extinction Rebellion, Waste Free Hong Kong and 350HK – gathered at Central pier 9 at noon and spent the next two hours marching to Shun Tak Centre in Sheung Wan.
They waved signs with climate change messages, handed out fliers at the central harbourfront and chanted slogans, including “no coal, no oil, keep the carbon in the soil”.
This event was held despite student climate campaigners abandoning a planned march on Friday citing safety concerns from the ongoing anti-government protests that have gripped the city since June.
It doesn’t matter whether you are pro-Beijing or pro-democracy, climate change is coming.
The demonstrators had launched a social media campaign, many painting the words “#morethan1%” on their forearms and sharing photos online. The green activists demand the Hong Kong government increase its use of renewable energy, which currently contributes just 1 per cent to the city’s power supply.
