On Friday 20 November, students in the Byron Shire and surrounds will close their books and laptops to meet at Apex Park, Byron Bay in another strike for climate action.
The ‘Reclaim Our Future’ school strike is set to coincide with the International Youth Strike happening globally, in countries such as France, England, Belgium, Spain and more.
Organisers of the Byron Shire Reclaim Our Future strike say, ‘Young people are feeling left out of the conversations, but it’s our futures they are stealing.’
The significant conversations they are talking about include the climate crisis, lack of affordable housing, rising cost of living and the rise of AI impacting potential work along with data centres draining precious resources and threatening ecosystems and quality of life prospects.
With collapsing ecosystems, increasing natural disasters, rising living costs and with big polluters continuing to influence decision making, students are determined to be heard.
Do a better job!
Students are demanding governments do a better job in protecting their future.
Despite a change in federal government since the first National Climate Strike where students walked out of school to demand greater action on climate change, there has been little difference in the ‘business as usual’ approach to the environment.
Up until June 2025, the federal government approved another 14 coal and 22 gas projects since the election with more on the way. The Australia Institute says federal Labor’s coal and gas project approvals are ‘incompatible with limiting dangerous climate change.’
And as if that wasn’t enough for young people to be worried about, they now have to contend with the rise of AI data centres. Alongside the inappropriate governance in construction of these centres is the destruction of local habitat and the 14 per cent increase in climate pollution they will cause by 2035.
Further, according to the Climate Council’s website these centres will use a staggering 40 million litres of water a day and by 2035, power prices in NSW are expected to rise by 26 per cent due to data centre demand.
At the local level, students are particularly concerned with habitat destruction. They are calling for the NSW and local governments to increase environmental protections when considering how to move forward to address their concerns.
Consequences
With a tsunami of issues coming at young people, they will have to live with the consequences of decisions being made now.
‘Heed the warning, we will be voting soon. We are taking action to reclaim our future,’ students say.
‘We deserve a safe future with stable and thriving ecosystems, where affordable housing is a human right, not a luxury, where our governments choose the people and the planet over corporations and billionaires.’
Concerned young people and supporters of their future will unite to take action at Apex Park, Byron Bay at 10am, on Friday 20 November, 2026. After the march, there will be live music and stalls.
Please come along, and help them reclaim the future.
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