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This 11-Year-Old Extinction Rebellion Activist Is Driving Climate Action in South Africa

Words by Smiley Team

What are you doing for the earth in this time of crisis? Our planet is facing an environmental emergency which authorities are doing little to halt.

Many of these disasters, such as deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels, are the result of processes generated by major corporations.

They’re issues that can be dealt with.

Yet the situation gets worse every day. Eleven-year-old Othembele Dyantyi is raising her voice to encourage a union of action against this unprecedented climate injustice.

Dyantyi is part of Extinction Rebellion, a global socio-political movement to drive government action to prevent the planet’s breakdown.

“I want to take the responsibility to stand up for something that can risk my future,” she says.

At the forefront of the South African resistance, Dyantyi and her army of youth activists are spreading awareness about the causes and severity of the climate crisis.

Together, they’re calling for the protection of endangered ecological systems and challenging the government to invest in renewable energy.

With unabated determination, Dyantyi is fighting to preserve the earth for future generations. “I’m passionate about this issue because climate change affects everyone,” she says.

If we are to save ourselves and our impaired planet, it’s going to take everything we’ve got, and it needs to start now.

Original article by Beautiful News - Source Global Citizen

Photo by Callum Shaw on Unsplash

 

To find out more about Extinction Rebellion and ways to get involved, go to their website.

 

This article aligns with the following UN SDGs

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