Environmental activist Greta Thunberg is taking her weekly climate strikes online in light of the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
As more countries order citizens to avoid large public gatherings in order to stop the spread of the disease, the 17-year-old Swede on Wednesday encouraged her Twitter followers to “find new ways to create public awareness & advocate for change that don’t involve too big crowds.”
As one alternative, Thunberg asked them to share pictures of themselves with their protest signs on social media using the hashtag #ClimateStrikeOnline.
“We can’t solve a crisis without treating it as a crisis and we must unite behind experts and science. This of course goes for all crises,” she tweeted.
Thunberg’s Fridays for Future movement asks students to walk out of school on Fridays in a bid to highlight the climate crisis. Last month, tens of thousands of people attended a rally and a march that she spoke at in Bristol, southwest England.
However, cultural, sporting and musical events around the world have since been canceled or postponed until the virus that has now infected more than 121,000 people globally (and more than 1,000 in the US) is contained.
“We young people are the least affected by this virus but it’s essential that we act in solidarity with the most vulnerable and that we act in the best interest of our common society,” Thunberg added. “So keep your numbers low but your spirits high and let’s take one week at the time.”
Check out Thunberg’s tweets here: