UPDATE, 9/20/19, 2:26pm ET: the 2019 Global Climate Strike has become unfathomably bigger than even expected. With over 1000 protests in just the United States alone, millions of kids are walking out of school and taking to the streets. In NYC, the Department of Education allowed the city’s 1.1 million students to skip school on September 20 to attend the strike with their parents’ permission, and they definitely took them up on that offer. It’s unclear exactly how many students are protesting in NYC, but video from the march, which you can see below, is incredible.
Marisol Rivera, a 13-year-old climate activist whose family home was destroyed in 2012 during Hurricane Sandy, told Gothamist, “I know there are people around the world who are suffering and are going through what I went through seven years ago. We can’t leave people suffering, we all deserve to live free of fossil fuels and have a better life. This can happen to the people we know and care for. We all need to fight before it’s too late.”
Jordan Black, 16, told the outlet that she’s marching “to reverse what our parents did. They screwed it up by letting all these things slide that they thought would help us in the future, but really it’s not helping us in the future at all. We’re suffering, our earth is suffering, and we need to do something about it.”
ORIGINAL: The late, great David Bowie put it best nearly 50 years ago: “These children that you spit on as they try to change their worlds, are immune to your consultations. They’re quite aware of what they’re going through.” Kids in 150 countries across the world are striking today, September 20, 2019, to demand action from their respective governments on combating climate change. It’s their futures that will be affected the most — not their parents, nor their grandparents — when the state of planet Earth reaches the point of no return. Millions of children and their grown allies have taken to the streets to let the adults know: they will not be silent, and they will not apologize for speaking up for themselves. As you can see in our gallery above, these inspiring kids are not messing around at the 2019 Global Climate Strike.
Before the various protests in the United States started, photos came in from countries around the world. Millions of kids walked out of school today. Germany has 1.4 million protestors already. In Mumbai, India, students stood in the pouring rain with their signs. The Pacific islands are the most at risk for destruction under climate change, and the students of Kiribati want recognition. Kiribati could be the first nation to completely disappear under rising sea levels. The town of Tebunginako once populated with 200 homes, and the island’s main port, is already underwater. The protests are led by 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who is protesting in NYC after speaking in front of Congress. Greta, who refuses to fly because of the plane emissions, sailed across the Atlantic in a zero-emissions boat for a journey that took 13 days. She’s protested in front of Sweden’s Parliament building ever Friday since April 2018. Students joined her in a movement dubbed Fridays For Future.
NYCs massive #ClimateStrike march has begun, from Foley Sq down Centre St to Chambers St across to Broadway… and down to the Battery! Thank you @ClimateCrisis and everyone else marching! pic.twitter.com/WUpeRP0ZQS
— Gale A. Brewer (@galeabrewer) September 20, 2019
Thousands of young people in San Francisco for the youth-led #ClimateStrike!
There is hope for our future and our planet! ✊️😍🌍❤️😭🌈#ClimateJustice #ClimateJusticeNow pic.twitter.com/zHrjUXr4bO
— Alyssa Kang (@1alyssakang) September 20, 2019
And the kids have some powerful, famous allies. Chris Hemsworth, who they probably know best as Thor, is proudly protesting in Australia. The actor, who has three kids, and four nieces and nephews all under the age of 10, shared a video from the protest on Instagram and wrote a passionate plea for action from his government: “What do we want? Climate Action! The kids have spoken! Well done to all the young climate strikers for taking part in #climatestrike drawing immediate attention to the climate change emergency!! Taking to the streets and demanding an end to the age of fossil fuels!! Coming out in droves like Children Of The Corn with far better intentions. Telling our political leaders that if they’re gonna speak for them they need to listen to them! The climate crisis is upon us.”
“Children understand the basic science that if we continue to pollute the planet climate change will worsen and they won’t have a future. None of us will,” he continued. “The planet will die and if you do the math pretty sure that means… um yep we’ll also be disposed of unceremoniously, too🤔. So yeah definitely immediate, urgent, and necessary wouldn’t you say? Get moving ‘leaders.’ Step 1 – move away from the burning of fossil fuels, no more new oil, gas, coal projects (that’s you Adani Mine). Step 2 – move toward 100% renewable energy generation and exports by 2030. Step 3 – fund a just transition and job creation for all fossil fuel workers and communities as this transition occurs.”
To see more photos of the 2019 Global Climate Strike, scroll through our gallery above. We dare you not to be inspired to do some protesting of your own!