On September 20 and 27, youth from more than 150 countries will be leading climate strikes, slated to be potentially the largest such actions to have ever taken place.
“The youth uprising,” says 350.org North America Director Tamara Toles O’Laughlin, “is backed by millions who refuse to sit by while the Trump administration, hand-in-hand with fossil fuel executives, continues their campaign of climate denial and policy rollbacks, all while we face extreme heat waves, hurricanes, floods, and wildfires.”
“This is a global issue that affects everyone,” says 16-year-old environmentalist Greta Thunberg. “We’re all in the same boat, so everyone should be concerned about this.”
Young people have been leading but now it’s the job of the rest of us to back them up. And back up is coming. For example, the scientific community from around the world endorsed the climate strikers and are supporting the youth in the streets on September 20. (See March for Science.)
“Our house is on fire—let’s act like it. If not you, then who? If not now, then when?” says Thunberg.