Today it seems in some ways another age, but on Friday young people from around New Zealand and around the world rallied together to demand action on climate change. Sonya Nagels met some of the strikers in Auckland.

Scarlett, 15

“This is our home, and without it, none of it – school, NCEA – none of it matters.”

Noah, 13

“There’s nothing major being done about climate change. People just worry about it and there’s actually nothing being done. Hopefully if we do this, maybe it will spread awareness and something will be done and we’ll have a better future.”

Karmella, 14

“There’s a saying that a wise man plants trees that he’ll never sit under, and I believe that this strike here today is us planting a tree that we’ll never get to sit under but will definitely make a change.”

Jordan, 17

“The world’s governments aren’t doing enough to stop climate change, and that needs to change.”

Freya, 15

“Obviously we can’t vote yet so we don’t get a direct say in that sense, so it’s a good way of showing our support for policies we would like enacted and showing what matters to us as a generation.”

Kahlil, 15

“The government needs to take more direct action to stop what’s happening to our planet. I believe that this strike today will change the outcome of what our planet looks like in the future.”

Maggie, 14

“This is the only way we can get adults to listen to us.”

Louie, 17

“I want support action for climate change. I want to know what our future is going to look like, I don’t want it to be unpredictable, I don’t want the future to be handed down as an unknown.”

Ruby, 17

“If we are the future then we should be deciding. Apparently we have 11 years until climate change is irreversible and some of us won’t be old enough to vote by that time and we won’t have power over our own future. So it’s up to us to put pressure on, and convince people older than us to fix it, and take responsibility.”

Emias, 15

“Mars looks like a boring place to live. I prefer the scenery here.”

Tumohio, 14

“I really don’t like this whole global warming stuff. Plus heaps of animal lives are being lost and native animals and native trees. We need that stuff around us.”

Maria, 15

“I’m here to show the generations before and after us that we are ready to make a change.”

Rei, 17

“This is a cause that I support, and I’m here to support my friends.”

Madi, 17

“Our climate is dying and the governments aren’t working quickly enough to change that.”

Xyon, 14

“I don’t want to see the children of the next century have a bad environment to grow up in. It’s sad seeing the planet slowly being destroyed.”

Ede, 15

“If we don’t stand up, who will? You’ve got to be part of something bigger.”