Young people demand a better future

On Friday, September 22, millions of young people around the globe walked out of school to protest the lack of action to reverse climate change. Led by 16-year-old Greta Thunberg, teenagers, children, and some adults added their voices to an ever-growing movement to hold governments and corporations accountable for their environmental destruction and demand that they make immediate changes to reverse the damage. A week later, more strikes drew similar crowds, some even larger. In New Zealand, an unprecedented 3.5% of the population took to the streets.

The movement, officially known as Fridays for Future, has inspired the creation of local groups on every continent, each with their own website and social media accounts. The movement’s Twitter account @FridaysforFuture, Greta Thunberg’s personal account, and hashtags like #climatestrike have garnered hundreds of thousands of tweets and retweets. Literally millions are members or followers on Facebook. 

While adults have participated in strikes and protests, movement organizers are teenagers. Young people are leading the way in demanding a better future for our planet.

In the words of Greta Thunberg, "We are doing this to wake the leaders up. We are doing this to get them to act. We deserve a safe future, and we demand a safe future. Is that really too much to ask? ... We should not be the ones fighting for our future, and yet, here we are. … No one is too small to make a difference. See you on the streets!”