Fridays For Future is an international movement led by students who strive to combat climate change through action and their voices.
The organization has garnered millions of activists across chapters worldwide who are committed to helping the earth by reducing the pollutants humans produce on a daily basis. FFF was created in Aug. 2018 after student Greta Thunberg protested the lack of action against climate change at the Swedish parliament. This act sparked the creation of the organization, gaining much widespread attention.
The FFF organizations then spread across the globe and to Iowa. In Davenport, student Lyla Williams is passionate about reducing climate change and initiated an FFF group. “Me and my two friends who I started it with, Allison Fah and Olivia Williams, have always been passionate about the environment and wanted to do something more for the planet. I decided to start a club-ish project called Davenport FFF,” explainedWilliams.
The group mainly contributes to environmental actions such as cleaning up trash and spreading awareness about climate change’s societal impacts. FFF also posts climate change quotes of the day on their Instagram in order to better promote their environmental focus.
The inaugural meeting of Davenport’s FFF group was held in the LeClaire Community Library on Dec. 6 from 4-5 p.m., where attendees discussed the organization and their future plans. “We learned that FFF’s biggest goal right now is to empower people into environmental activism and stand up for local causes,” FFF member Allie Fah stated.
Key goals assumed by FFF and other environmental groups are to keep global temperature rise under 1.5 C compared to pre-industrial levels, ensure climate safety and advocate for an acknowledged consensus on climate change. “We volunteer, have 100% member-run projects and do many other fun activities to spread awareness about environmental issues. We also plan and hold events, such as Eco-Friendly markets or organized cleanups,” stated Williams.
Numerous environmental organizations have participated in protests or climate strikes along with FFF. These strikes and protests helped to raise awareness about the severity of climate change and its many far-reaching effects on the planet.
Despite low funding, environmental organizations can still have a significant impact by spreading the word of the effects of climate change and uniting more people under the cause. And ultimately, a larger number of groups dedicated to the same goal leads to greater influence on future environmental policies.
Scientists widely accept the notion that the greenhouse effect is caused by high carbon dioxide emissions from human activities. Given the processes to remove carbon dioxide emissions from the air are primarily geological, prevention of further harmful human activities is the most effective approach to reducing climate change.
The Davenport FFF group displays the importance of local activism within a community and leads people to take action through their inspiration.
