Saoi O'Connor is an Irish climate activist, who began the Fridays for Future strike in Cork, Ireland in January 2019.

Climate justice activism

Saoi O'Connor began the Fridays For Future strike in Cork City on 11 January 2019 outside Cork City Hall[1][2] holding a poster which says "The Emperor Has No Clothes".[3] O'Connor started their activism aged 3, as part of a fair trade campaign during St Patrick's Day.[4] O'Connor moved away from mainstream education at Skibbereen Community School to continue their studies home-schooling[3] to allow them to work full time on climate justice activism full-time.[5] In February 2019, O'Connor travelled to the European Parliament in Strasbourg to join fellow activists for the climate debates.[4]

O'Connor was one of the 157 delegates to the 2019 RTÉ Youth Assembly on Climate,[6] and attended the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Madrid the same year.[7] In December 2019, O'Connor was awarded the Outstanding Individual at the Cork Environmental Forum's Awards ceremony. During the ceremony, they remarked on how little had changed regarding climate change policy since they began their climate strike. The Fridays For Future Cork group, of which O'Connor was a member, also received a commendation from the Forum.[1]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the in-person school strikes were suspended in early 2020, but O'Connor recommenced them in July 2020.[8] In December 2020 O'Connor was part of a global group of 9 women and non-binary activists that published a letter to global leaders on Thomson Reuters Foundation News, entitled "As the Paris Agreement on Climate Change marks five years, urgent action on climate threats is needed now". The international group included Mitzi Jonelle Tan, Belyndar Rikimani, Leonie Bremer, Laura Muñoz, Fatou Jeng, Disha Ravi, Hilda Flavia Nakabuye and Sofía Hernández Salazar.[9]

O'Connor wrote an article for The Irish Times in January 2021 reflecting on the difficulties of preparing for the Leaving Certificate examinations during the pandemic.[10] O'Connor was one of the contributors to an anthology, Empty House, co-edited by Alice Kinsella and Nessa O'Mahony and included contributions from Rick O'Shea and Paula Meehan.[5][11] For Earth Day 2021, O'Connor was one of the organisers for Fridays For Future Ireland's virtual event, which called on the Minister for Climate Action Eamon Ryan to take more and immediate action on climate change.[12]

O'Connor was engaged in grassroots activism during the COP26 meeting in Glasgow in 2021. They stated that "None of these conferences can give us what we’re fighting for, only the people can do that.".[13] For Earth Day 2021, O'Connor was one of the organisers for Fridays For Future Ireland's virtual event, which called on the Minister for Climate Action Eamon Ryan to take more and immediate action on climate change.[12]

O'Connor will attend COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh.[14]

Personal life

O'Connor was born in Skibbereen, Co. Cork, but currently resides in Glasgow.[15] They are autistic, transgender[16] and non-binary.[17]

References

  1. 1 2 "Saoi's climate contribution honoured at Cork Environmental Forum awards". The Southern Star. 11 December 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  2. ↑ Meath, Aisling (7 May 2019). "A Saoi of change". The Southern Star. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  3. 1 2 O'Byrne, Ellen (13 December 2019). "Cork teen climate activist: 'Terrifying' to have protested for a year with no change". Echo Live. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  4. 1 2 Dunphy, Liz (5 October 2019). "Cork climate activist Saoi O'Connor says act now or 'we may not have a future'". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  5. 1 2 Sheridan, Colette (20 April 2021). "Climate change alarm bells prompt author into action with Irish anthology". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  6. ↑ "Saoi O'Connor". RTÉ News. 12 October 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  7. ↑ O'Sullivan, Kevin (10 December 2019). "Climate striker hits out at deliberate jargon and confusion at UN talks". The Irish Times. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  8. ↑ O'Sullivan, Kevin (2 July 2020). "Young Cork climate strikers resume outdoor protest". The Irish Times. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  9. ↑ Foundation, Thomson Reuters. "There's no time left for diplomacy. Now it's time for action". news.trust.org. Retrieved 27 April 2021. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  10. ↑ O'Connor, Saoi (5 January 2021). "A Leaving Cert student writes: 'This is not a normal year. It's taking a huge toll on us'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  11. ↑ Sheridan, Colette (20 April 2021). "Climate change alarm bells prompt author into action with Irish anthology". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  12. 1 2 "Youth climate strikers demand more from world leaders". Green News Ireland. 24 April 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  13. ↑ O'Connor, Saoi (30 October 2021). "Saoi O'Connor: COP26 won't give us what we're fighting for - only the people can do that". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  14. ↑ Garton-Crosbie, Abbi (28 October 2022). "Young Scots chant 'f*** the Tories' as they march through Glasgow in climate protest". The National. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  15. ↑ Keogh, Jackie (30 December 2020). "Climate activist Saoi in RTÉ documentary". Southern Star. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  16. ↑ O'Connor, Saoi [@saoi4climate] (1 April 2022). "Happy Transgender Day of Visibility/Autism Acceptance Month/April Fools day from a trans autistic fool (me)" (Tweet). Retrieved 26 December 2022 – via Twitter.
  17. ↑ O'Connor, Saoi [@saoi4climate] (8 May 2021). "Update: apparently he replied right before he blocked me. Not sure how I, a non-binary person, and the multiple other trans people who replied, were all wrong about him being transphobic, but that's what he's claiming" (Tweet). Retrieved 26 December 2022 – via Twitter.
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