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The schools' climate strike at the Scottish Parliament last year

Young Activists Launch Climate Campaign

Tuesday August 18 2020

A group of young Christians from all over the UK are today launching their campaign for climate justice.

The young adults, who range from 18-30 years old, started the campaign, which is called ‘Stop Fuelling the Fire’, through Christian Aid’s Prophetic Activists scheme.

The campaign aims to stop the UK government funding the extraction of fossil fuels overseas. Government funding for this activity has increased in recent years - something the activists believe to be a hypocritical move for a government which prides itself on being a champion of sustainability.

The campaigners plan to engage and raise awareness amongst the wider public and various political stakeholders. They will be doing this through various methods including sharing social media content, launching a petition and reaching out to several MPs, with their key target being Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

One of the Scottish activists, Kirsten Clarke, said: "We are a group of young Christians from across Scotland and the rest of the UK who are passionate about climate justice and believe God has called us to work to make it a reality.

“In January, we started a year-long campaign training programme which has culminated in this petition, 'Stop Fuelling the Fire', which calls on Boris Johnson and the Government to end fossil fuel funding overseas which is harming our environment and the livelihoods of the most vulnerable people across the globe.

“Here in Scotland, climate change is something which can feel very far away but we believe that as Christians we are asked to care about protecting God's earth and to reach out beyond national borders to help all people around the world"

Another activist, Hannah Abban, a member of the campaign’s press and parliamentary team, said: “Our motivation behind the campaign is the firm belief that our faith calls us to action. Truly loving one another as commanded by Christ means tackling the complicated effects of climate change and the inequalities it is creating head on. Several countries are contributing to global warming, however we want to make sure the UK is setting an example by doing all within its power to decrease its carbon footprint.”

The Prophetic Activist scheme, which launched at the start of the year, aims to allow young people to create a campaign to tackle societal injustice. This year’s theme is climate justice. Prior to the campaign launch the scheme’s participants received training from Christian Aid campaigners and global activists such as Amika George, a British activist who runs the campaign Free Periods.

The launch of the campaign marks a growth in activism amongst young people regarding climate change and its negative impact on human communities and various animal species. Most noticeable was the climate school strikes which took place last year, with over 300,000 people and 1,000 companies in the UK participating.

The Stop Fuelling the Fire petition is at at https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-fuelling-the-fire-say-no-to-the-uk-financing-dirty-energy-overseas