Ou has faced run-ins with police, family pressure, and harsh online criticism. GUILIN: While most of her peers are preparing for university or enjoying summer vacation, 17-year-old Howey Ou is braving intimidation and criticism in China to save the world from climate catastrophe.
"The climate emergency is the biggest threat to the survival of mankind. I feel anxious every day about the climate and the extinction of animal species," said Ou, an intense figure who speaks in a fast monotone, reeling off a trove of scientific data from memory.AdvertisementWhile Thunberg has addressed global leaders at the UN Climate Action Summit and received awards for her work, the Chinese activist has been kicked out of school for refusing to give up her campaigning.
"After I was interrogated by the police, my parents tried to stop me by all means, such as by keeping me at home, not letting me accept interviews or take part in the climate movement, and searching my electronic devices," she said.After her protest outside the government offices, she started planting trees in the surroundings of Guilin, the southern Chinese city where she lives, and studied methods of non-violent protest, poring over the works of Mahatma Gandhi.
But she says many had little understanding of the climate crisis - and the journey formed the loneliest period of her life.