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Rapper Jaden Smith is hot for student climate rallies

American entertainer Jaden Smith said he supports youth activism to combat climate change.

American entertainer Jaden Smith said he supports youth activism to combat climate change. Photo: Supplied

American rapper and actor Jaden Smith has thrown his support behind Friday’s student climate strikes, joining Australian youth activists calling for action to combat global warming.

The 20-year-old Karate Kid star was in Melbourne on Friday as thousands of Australian students joined a global school strike to push for action on climate change.

Students in 55 towns and cities around the nation called on politicians to stop the Adani coal mine, ban new fossil fuels, and power Australia with 100 per cent renewable energy by 2030.

“I 100 per cent support young people getting out and making their voices be heard and say ‘hey we actually care about this’,” Mr Smith told The New Daily.

“You’re learning about the real world and how you can make a difference in the real world and not just leave it up to everyone else.”

climate change strike

Student climate strikes have seen a tidal wave of support, despite Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s calls for “less activism”.

Mr Smith said his motivation to raise awareness about the effects of global warming began in the classroom.

“I had a teacher who was teaching me about the pacific patches, and also how much plastic was getting into the ocean and specifically about how greenhouse gases were going into the atmosphere and heating up the temperatures of our planet,” Mr Smith said.

“When I started learning about what was happening and that people were suffering from climate-related issues all over the world, like floods leaving people without homes, or the spread of mass bacterias… this is what made me want to make a difference.

“I learnt that in the future humans could be an endangered species, and that’s what got me really excited and upset at the same time.”

Mr Smith is in Melbourne to launch his range of eco-friendly packaged waters, JUST Water.

Sourced from Cottonwood Springs near Ballarat in Victoria, the water is packaged in a paper-based carton made from 82 per cent renewable resources and a cap made from non-food grade sugar cane.

“(In Australia) we would encourage people to just drink straight from the tap… but if you’re on the move, going to the beach or on a road trip then take a bottle of JUST Water with you,” Mr Smith said.

“People want to do what’s best… and I want people to have that alternative, to have that choice and to say ‘hey i’m not going to use the normal petroleum-based plastic bottles of water’.”

JUST Water comes in three flavours – natural spring water, lemon and berry – and can be found in Woolworths supermarkets and 7-Eleven stores nationwide.

 

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