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Montreal students protest for the environment for 14th straight week

CBC News | Posted: May 17, 2019 10:03 PM | Last Updated: May 17, 2019

Friday's demonstrators call on all levels of government to address climate crisis now

Image | climate protest montreal may

Caption: The student protesters want the government to take action on climate change and say they hope through these demonstrations that the general population becomes more aware of what's at stake. (Ivanoh Demers/Radio-Canada)

Thousands of students marched through Montreal's streets for the 14th Friday in a row to demand all levels of government take action on environmental issues.
Maia Spiek, a member of the collective Pour le Futur Montréal, says rain or shine, people are happy to attend.

Image | students march climate

Caption: Thousands of students marched for the 14th consecutive Friday on May 17. (Ivanoh Demers/Radio-Canada)

"They sing. They cry. They are full of energy, and it's really a gratifying moment," Spiek said.
Protesters want fossil fuels to be abandoned and want the government to invest in more renewable forms of energy.

Image | legault office montreal die-in

Caption: Protesters started the day with a die-in protest in front of Quebec Premier François Legault’s office in Montreal. (Ivanoh Demers/Radio-Canada)

Citizens have to grasp that the situation is critical, Spiek said.
Friday's protest started with about 50 people blocking Quebec Premier François Legault's office on McGill College Avenue.

Image | climate march may montreal

Caption: The crowds say they're trying to pressure policymakers to ensure the planet doesn't heat up by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. (Ivanoh Demers/Radio-Canada)

In Paris in 2015, world leaders agreed to a goal of keeping the Earth's global temperature increase by the end of the century to less than 2 degrees Celsius.

Image | Luc Ferrandez climate march

Caption: Former Plateau-Mont-Royal borough mayor Luc Ferrandez attended the march. He quit politics this week, saying the Projet Montréal administration is not taking a tough enough stance to protect the environment. (Ivanoh Demers/Radio-Canada)

Scientists now believe that keeping the increase to less than 1.5 degrees Celsius is a far safer limit for the world.
Right now, the world is on track to see temperatures rise by 4 degrees Celsius by 2100.

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