Howey Ou
{{short description|Chinese climate activist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2020}}
{{family name hatnote|Ou|lang=Chinese}}
Ou Hongyi ({{zh|first=s|s=欧泓奕|t=歐泓奕|p=Ōu Hóngyì}}; IPA: ə̄u xʷúŋìː), also known by her English name Howey Ou, is a Chinese environmental activist who organises the school strike for climate in Guilin in southern China, calling for more action to limit greenhouse gas emissions by China and thus climate change.{{Cite news |author=Elena Morresi |title=Howey Ou: China's first school climate striker – video profile |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2020/jul/20/howey-ou-chinas-first-school-climate-striker-video-profile |date=2020-07-20 |access-date=2020-11-10}}
Biography
Ou's activism started after convincing her parents, both university lecturers, to adopt several lifestyle choices to reduce their own carbon footprint.{{Cite news |last=Myers |first=Steven Lee |date=2020-12-04 |title=Ignored and Ridiculed, She Wages a Lonesome Climate Crusade |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/04/world/asia/ou-hongyi-china-climate.html |access-date=2020-12-05 |issn=0362-4331}} In late May 2019, at age 16, she did a school strike for climate by holding up homemade banners for several days in front of City Hall in Guilin to call for immediate stronger action on climate change.{{Cite web |date=2020-08-20 |title=Howey Ou is risking it all to put climate change on China's agenda |first1=Ollia|last1=Horton|url=https://www.rfi.fr/en/international/20200820-china-howey-ou-risking-it-all-to-put-climate-change-on-china-s-agenda-environment |access-date=2020-11-10 |website=RFI |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Fighting Alone for Climate Action in China: Meet Teen Activist Howey Ou |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/g5p7em/young-teen-climate-change-protester-china-howey-ou-environment |access-date=2020-11-10 |website=Vice |last1=Chen|first1=Heather|date=2020-09-25|language=en}} Greta Thunberg said she is a "true hero", then the authorities said she must stop due to not having a permit.{{Cite web|title=Chinas Greta bricht ihren Klimastreik vorerst ab|url=https://www.t-online.de/-/85919742|access-date=2020-07-06|website=www.t-online.de|date=13 June 2019 |language=de}}{{Cite web |date=2020-09-30 |title=Greta Thunberg speaks out after arrest of Chinese climate activist Ou Hongyi |url=https://www.scmp.com/yp/discover/news/environment/article/3103603/climate-change-advocate-greta-thunberg-speaks-out |access-date=2023-07-06 |website=Young Post}}{{Cite web |title=Howey Ou is a true hero. We are all behind you. Guilin, China. |url=https://twitter.com/gretathunberg/status/1132523367549067264 |access-date=2020-11-10 |website=Twitter |language=en}} Her WeChat account was blocked.{{Cite web|title=Howey Ou – ganz allein im Klimastreik|url=https://www.ecoterra.info/index.php/de/627-howey-ou-ganz-allein-im-klimastreik|access-date=2020-07-06|website=www.ecoterra.info|archive-date=27 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627223407/https://www.ecoterra.info/index.php/de/627-howey-ou-ganz-allein-im-klimastreik|url-status=dead}} In September 2019, she organised a "Plant for survival" campaign. With her pocket money, she bought trees and planted them around Guilin.{{Cite web|last=sina_mobile|date=2019-11-04|title=16岁中国环保少女被网友骂惨：求你别瞎学瑞典那妹子"罢课".....|url=https://k.sina.cn/article_6208490735_1720e0cef01900tf9o.html?from=edu|access-date=2020-07-06|website=k.sina.cn}} She was not allowed to return to school as long as she engages in climate activism.{{Cite news |last=Standaert |first=Michael |date=2020-07-19 |title=China's first climate striker warned: give it up or you can't go back to school |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/20/chinas-first-climate-striker-cant-return-to-school |access-date=2020-12-29 |issn=0261-3077}}{{Cite web|date=2020-08-25|title=18 Things to know about Howey Ou, China's only teenage climate striker|url=https://www.ncronline.org/news/earthbeat/18-things-know-about-howey-ou-chinas-only-teenage-climate-striker|access-date=2020-11-10|website=National Catholic Reporter|language=en}}{{Cite news |last1=Hawkins |first1=Amy |date=2023-06-29 |title=As Beijing swelters, activists hope the heat will prompt climate action |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/30/as-beijing-swelters-activists-hope-the-heat-will-prompt-climate-action |access-date=2023-07-06 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}
In 2019, youth activist group Earth Uprising nominated her to attend the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit in New York.{{Cite news|last=Standaert|first=Michael|date=2019-09-18|title=China's young climate heroes fight apathy – and the party line|newspaper=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/18/china-young-climate-heroes-fight-apathy-party-line|access-date=2020-07-06|issn=0261-3077}}{{Cite web|date=2019-11-10|title=Young voices in China's environmental wilderness struggle to be heard|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3037092/young-voices-chinas-environmental-wilderness-and-why-they|access-date=2020-07-06|newspaper=South China Morning Post}}
In 2020, China committed to net zero emissions by 2060, but continued to build coal-fired power stations.{{Cite news |title=China aims to cut its net carbon-dioxide emissions to zero by 2060 |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/china/2020/09/24/china-aims-to-cut-its-net-carbon-dioxide-emissions-to-zero-by-2060 |access-date=2020-09-29 |issn=0013-0613}}
Ou keeps in touch with environmental activist Zhao Jiaxin. After she and three other activists were detained after a silent protest in front of the Shanghai Exhibition Centre in September 2020{{Cite web|date=2020-09-29|title=Greta Thunberg criticises China after climate striker held over protest|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3103548/greta-thunberg-criticises-china-after-climate-striker-ou-hongyi|access-date=2020-11-10|website=South China Morning Post|language=en}} she was called "incredibly brave" by Greta Thunberg.{{Cite web|date=2020-11-09|title='Hypocrites and greenwash': Greta Thunberg blasts leaders over climate crisis|url=http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/09/hypocrites-and-greenwash-greta-thunberg-climate-crisis|access-date=2020-11-10|newspaper=The Guardian}} Ou and her parents have become vegetarians.
In Lausanne, Switzerland, Ou started a hunger strike on Palud Square on 19 April 2021, to protest her 60-day prison and 1,200-Swiss francs fine sentence for protesting against expansion of the exploitation of the limestone quarry on Mormont hill by the Swiss-French cement company LafargeHolcim.{{Cite web|date=2021-04-19|title=Vaud – Une zadiste chinoise entame une grève de la faim à Lausanne|url=https://www.20min.ch/fr/story/une-zadiste-chinoise-entame-une-greve-de-la-faim-a-lausanne-340296976114|access-date=2021-04-28|website=20 minutes|language=fr}}{{Cite news |author=Matthew Taylor, Emily Holden, Dan Collyns, Michael Standaert and Ashifa Kassam |title=The young people taking their countries to court over climate inaction |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/may/07/the-young-people-taking-their-countries-to-court-over-climate-inaction |date=2021-05-07 |access-date=2021-05-07}} In 2024, she was fully acquitted by the Supreme Court of Switzerland, which ruled that she had not obstructed police action.{{Cite news |author=Yannick Weber |title=La zadiste chinoise évacuée réussit à être totalement acquittée |url=https://www.20min.ch/fr/story/colline-du-mormont-vd-la-zadiste-chinoise-evacuee-reussit-a-etre-totalement-acquittee-103237943 |work=20 minutes |date=11 December 2024 |access-date=14 December 2024}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://earthuprising.org/ Earth Uprising]
{{School strike for climate}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ou, Howey}}
Category:Chinese environmentalists