RTE 2FM star Keith Walsh told how seeing the devastating effects of climate change in Malawi has urged him to back the school strikes.
The Newbridge, Co Kildare radio star, 40, said he was shocked by what he witnessed travelling to Africa with Trocaire last month.
Keith said: “You’re driving through this dirt road and you see a boat beside a house… and I was like, ‘where are they fishing!?’
“You get to a few kilometres away and the lake has receded so much that there’s not much of a lake anymore.
“Now the fishermen don’t have the fish to eat or sell, so fishermen are now growing crops as well so they aren’t depending on one thing.”
The former 2FM Breakfast Republic star, who now presents his own weekend show on the station, told how the trip has inspired him to support climate action and back the Friday’s for future School Strikes made famous by Greta Thunberg.
Over 10,000 people took to the streets in Dublin over the environment last month with thousands protesting nationwide and millions taking action around the world.
Keith said: “I don’t know if the trip made me want to campaign more, but it makes me more willing to support things like the Friday School Strikes.
“To be more encouraging of young people and to be that 40-something-year-old man that isn’t having a go at them.”
The broadcaster commended the youth movement, blasting the older generation for criticising their efforts.
He added: “Unfortunately for young people they didn’t take into account how thick some men and the generation before us are.”
The trip marked six months since Cyclone Idai hit the region, leaving over 1,300 people dead.
Over 850,000 people were affected in Malawi with 59 dying and nearly 87,000 people having to leave their homes in the country.
