By Quinn Patatwardhan
On March 25, 2022, Fridays For Future staged hundreds of rallies around the world to protest the wealth disparity surrounding greenhouse gas emissions. Despite attendance from thousands across the world, the media largely snubbed the event. Large outlets published very few articles covering the strike, and those that were written were mostly allocated to each paper’s “local” section. One of the few exceptions was an article published in the New York Times, which highlighted why coverage of the strikes is vital.
According to a New York Times project that surveyed 10,000 people between the ages of 16 and 25, 75% of respondents said they thought that the “the future is frightening.” Strikers at the March 25 events were mostly within this age demographic. When the media ignores the voices of those who will soon become the main actors in global politics, as well as in social and activism spheres worldwide, they put themselves in jeopardy of being written off in the future. Furthermore, by disregarding such strikes, media outlets assist in reinforcing the ignorance and complacency that continues to threaten our planet.
Climate strikes aim to draw attention and encourage governmental action to combat specific climate change issues, and the sole highway that connects these protests to their intended audience is the press. By ranking “Uber agrees to list all NYC taxis on ride-hailing app” on their top-ten news of the day list while simultaneously disregarding the climate strikes, media outlets like “the Week” have suppressed information about climate change and prevented it from reaching global audiences.
These particular Fridays for Future marches highlighted the wealth disparity between the top one percent of the population and the bottom fifty percent, with both of these groups releasing the same amount of greenhouse gas emissions. Climate action lies in the hands of higher-income nations who have more tools at their disposal to reduce such emissions. The March 25 strikes encouraged these populations to take steps to curtail the burning of fossil fuels. As a messenger between strikers and people living in both the developed and developing worlds, media coverage of strikes is essential.
Sources:
https://theweek.com/briefing/daily-briefing/1011759/10-things-you-need-to-know-today-march-25-2022
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