June 5 marked World Environment Day, and Sudbury's Fridays for Future youth held their 135th climate strike on June 4 in conjunction with the day.
Sophia Mathur has been at the forefront of climate activism in Greater Sudbury since she was just nine years old back in 2016. Now 14, Mathur continues to push for change at all levels of government to protect the planet.
On Friday, June 5, Mathur was joined by two other members of Fridays for Future, 12-year-old Arik Kabaroff-Scott and 14-year-old Jane Walker, to bring attention to the Fossil Fuel non-Proliferation Treaty.
The treaty is a global initiative that proposes effective and timely solutions to save the planet and is based upon three pillars.
The three pillars are:
- Ending expansion to coal, oil and natural gas immediately
- Phasing out stockpiles in existing oil and gas fields and coal mines
- Peacefully transitioning to new and renewable energy sources
Vancouver is the only Canadian city that has endorsed the treaty thus far, and is one of more than 400 organizations to say yes to the Fossil Fuel non-Proliferation Treaty.
"We're here today to ask the city of Sudbury to sign the treaty," said Mathur. "We've already seen the city declare a climate emergency and we're encouraging them to take another step and jump on board with this."
It's been a busy past few months for Mathur as her name and reputation have continued to grow as one of the country's leading young climate activists. From her work at the local level to being featured in Maclean's magazine, it's been a whirlwind for the teen.
"Things have been getting a lot busier lately for sure," said Mathur. "When the pandemic started things really slowed down, but now everything is picking up again. I think it's a good comparison, we've all been working together to try to get out of this pandemic, we should be doing the same for the climate."
Mathur and a group of young people - backed by Ecojustice - are suing the Ontario government for what they call "weakening the province's climate targets and violating Ontarians' Charter rights.”
"It's been going pretty well and I think it's important that we try to go after government in different ways, but especially with the law," said Mathur.
"If we do win this case, many other governments or people can refer to this case and make changes where they are. It's exciting that we have an opportunity to make real change where under law the governments have to take action."
