By: Ava H.
Anna Kernahan is a 18 year old climate justice activist from Belfast in Northern Ireland. She solo strikes for the climate every Friday outside Belfast City Hall as a part of the Fridays for Future to raise ecological awareness.
What has inspired you to become an environmental activist? Was there a specific moment?
The publication of the IPCC 1.5 degrees of warming above pre-industrial levels special report in November of 2018.
What specific steps do you take in order to spread ecological awareness among citizens? What has been the most effective strategy? What hasn’t worked well?
When we are taking to the streets and getting general public awareness from the climate crisis being published in the media creates a lot of awareness. On the 20th of September 2019 we had 4 million people taking to the streets on every continent including Antarctica, which was a tipping point in raising awareness. The biggest tool Fridays for Future has is our volume. We are truly international and can mass mobilize on a huge scale in very short periods of time.
What keeps your passion for activism and organizing strong?
Fear. The climate crisis is not a problem for future generations. This is a problem for people today, every day, in MAPA (Most Affected People and Areas). People are dying in fires, floods and storms. We are in the beginning of the sixth mass extinction. I don't have a passion for activism and organizing, I am motivated by anxiety and fear.
What has your overall experience been like protesting?
I have mixed feelings about protesting. On the one hand, I love going to protests because the atmosphere is electric, you can feel the hope and empowerment in the air and it feels as though you are physically making a difference, however I dislike striking alone. The worst thing about protesting is when you go hope with all of this positive energy and then realize that nothing has actually changed. Protesting is great for raising public awareness, but unless the people in power actually listen and then act on the science we are protesting about, protests achieve nothing.
What was it like protesting with Greta Thunberg, the founder of the Fridays for Future movement?
That was a great action where we had people from every country in Europe and thousands turned up to the march the next day. Greta is such a lovely friend (and her sharing her umbrella was greatly appreciated), it was great to see her and all the other climate activists in person who I had mainly worked with online and it was super fun earning climate chants in everyone’s native language. However, Greta is one of millions in the Fridays for Future movement and I know she would prefer that the climate crisis was talked about instead!
Photo from: NvTv
What was it like to watch, ‘I Am Greta,’ before the pubic did?
It was very relatable to watch a fellow climate activist go through the emotions that most of us have also gone through, such as the feelings that this is too much responsibility. We are young people, most of us have work and/ or a full-time education to juggle on top of doing the job the people in power should be doing. It also felt very awkward at times in the more private/ intimate scenes as it felt as though I should look away.
What have been your biggest accomplishments as an activist?
On September 20th, we had millions take to the streets on every continent including Antarctica, and on a local level we had 7,000 people in Belfast. At the Belfast strike, we got a climate emergency declared as a result! More personally, I was given the Amnesty International bravery award for young people 2020.
How has the pandemic affected your activism, and how have you adapted?
We have had to adapt quite a bit- no marches, no protests involving a mass gathering etc. We have changed our strategy a lot to actions that can still be done under coronavirus restrictions, such as: online climate strikes, solo strikes, banner drops and postering. In terms of international coordination, we have always been using zoom and so it hasn’t affected us massively in that way, but the way we are working in general has changed completely.
What are your future plans?
I am planning on going to university next year to study Geography and also to work on my writing.
Thank you Anna for partaking in this interview! We love what you are doing to advocate for the environment and wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.