rothers, like millions of others across the globe, attended last month’s climate strike along with her children and members of her all gender, secular family scouting organization. the navigators typically organize camping trips and engage in community service work, however, they decided it was important to participate in this year’s climate march in tucson, arizona. 

“i thought it was important enough to let my kids know [climate change] is going on in the world” explained rothers. 

parents like rothers are starting to realize that trash pick-ups and recycling are not enough. while the previous generation was told that they can help protect the environment by picking up after yourself, today’s youth were born into a planet in crisis that is seemingly overwhelming to manage. 

“i don’t want my children to be terrified of their future. i want them to be aware,” rothers said

that’s why rothers decided to bring her two children, veronica and oliver, to the climate march in tucson.   

youth like janet’s eight-year-old daughter veronica believe it is important to participate in events like the climate march. veronica believes protecting the planet is important because “kids in the future can have a happy life where they don’t have to worry about the world’s climate changing.” 

oliver, veronica’s 10-year-old brother, believes “we have a perfectly good planet and we should protect it at all costs.” 

janet rothers first had the idea of bringing her children and the navigators to the strike after watching a ted talk by 16-year-old swedish climate activist greta thurnberg, where she encouraged youth around the world to attend the climate strikes and demand climate action.

she asked oliver and veronica if they thought it would be appropriate to invite the navigators club to join, to which oliver said, “yes! navigators and all of (our school) should go!”

“i would rather have a chance of doing something to help than to not do anything” oliver explained.

“many parents thanked us for doing this,” rothers said. 

positive word of mouth spread and classmates of oliver and veronica joined the crowd where they watched older youth armed with megaphones make demands to their city’s leaders for climate action.

to rothers, it was important to teach her kids that “they do not have to be a passive observer” in the face of this climate crisis. 

the event left a lasting impression on her children. 

oliver said he learned that, “we are stronger together.” 

“i might be able to help even though i am just one person,” veronica said.

rothers finds it frustrating that climate change doesn’t dominate the headlines every day. 

“i’d like to see a tipping point,” she said. “i’m hoping for that tipping point to happen sooner rather than later.” 

according to the guardian, youth from an estimated 185 countries made a unified and urgent demand for global action against change; time will tell whether or not this moment in history will serve as a tipping point for climate action. 

despite the challenges and pessimism, young people like veronica and oliver are starting to realize they have the power to take action against climate change if they do so together. 

“right now we are the ones who are making a difference. if no one else will take action, then we will,” said greta thunberg during the strike in new york. “we demand a safe future. is that really too much to ask?”

herzfeld initially got involved in the 2019 global climate strike scene through her internship work at 350 colorado. 350 is an international grassroots organizing group that tackles climate issues. after developing skills with 350 colorado and collaborating with 350pdx, the portland, oregon, branch of 350, herzfeld played an instrumental role in getting reed college students to attend the portland climate march. her objective: get as many reed college community members as possible to participate in the climate strike and show up to the climate march. 

herzfeld spearheaded a petition that circulated reed’s campus and called for the college president to shut down the school in recognition of the climate strike. she, along with other students, managed to obtain 676 signatures, equivalent to nearly half of the students currently enrolled at reed college, in support of the petition. other organizing that occurred in the weeks leading up to the event included plastering the campus in posters, coordinating transportation to the strike, and banner and poster making for the march itself, among other logistical details to make the day of the march smooth sailing. 

herzfeld felt compelled to join the movement and help organize due to her increasing anxiety about climate change.

“i was going to school and learning about all the problems in the world—politically and economically and environmentally. and i was learning about all these problems but i was so busy with school that i wasn’t doing anything. so i was locked in on-campus learning things that were making me extremely depressed and terrified, with no outlet and no time to actually do anything about it. so over the course of last semester, i got increasingly anxious and [was] just in a really, really bad place–to the point where there was one night that i had like a six-hour panic attack,” herzfeld said.

herzfeld took all this energy and applied to the influential 350 colorado internship the day following her panic attack. speaking up and helping out really was not a choice for herzfeld; it was an obligation. 

“we don’t have time, we have to,” she said. “this is a moral responsibility. this is the future of the planet. what else is there to fight for? you know?” 

the organizing does not end with the end of the climate march for herzfeld. 

“i’m really excited about the future. i’m honestly finding it really hard to even concentrate on schoolwork at this point because all i want to do all the time is just organize,” she said.

she plans on connecting all the colleges in portland to create a coalition of environmental organizers to try and organize and share ideas and resources. she wants it to become “the cool thing for colleges to do—declare a climate emergency,” in hopes that their statuses as institutions can help influence the climate change conversation to get some much-needed change happening. 

the climate strike not only brought newcomers to the movement, but it also inspired people already informed on the movement to stay involved and motivated. 

“after the climate strike i’m a lot more hopeful about the future of the world than i was before the climate strike,” herzfeld shared. “i feel like there’s a global revolution/renaissance that’s building and that people all over the world are feeling more connected by this global existential threat that connects us in a way that we’ve never had before. we’ve never had a crisis like this where everyone is to a degree complicit in it in some way. as a planet, we can’t really shift the blame because it’s kind of all of us…we’re all the enemy. but we’re also all able to be a part of the solution.” 

when she’s not organizing petitions and protests or studying in her interdisciplinary major of political science, sociology, and economics with a focus on network theory, herzfeld can be found watching films, painting, and attending metal shows around portland.

“it’s a good way to get the angry energy out — especially around climate change and politics” 

she’s excited to keep organizing however, and she’s excited with what the climate movement will lead to. 

“i think that the nature of this problem is going to lead to a really, really awesome global movement that we’ve never seen before,” herzfeld said. “that’s what i hope. that’s what i believe. and that’s what i’m working towards so i’m really excited to see what happens.”

in a series of climate strikes across the globe on sept. 27, montreal had a larger turnout than any other city in the second week of striking. more than 500,000 people, many painted with green paint and adorned with handcrafted flower crowns, took over the city. 

the montreal transportation system, stm, was made free for the day to encourage people to attend and allow them to come regardless of financial restraints. the bixi bike system was also free for six hours of the day. as bixi bikes piled up along the field, droves of people began to collect in the remaining patches of the heavily crowded field. french chants and drum beats echoed off the buildings and statues surrounding jeanne-mance park where the march began. avenue du parc was shut down, along with other main roads, as half a million people left their prior commitments to march toward their hope, greta thunberg. 

several demonstrations and protests happened away of the marching. members of mcgill university’s student organization climate justice action, cjam, protested on the steps of the arts building. they urged people not to go to class and for mcgill to listen to the demands they curated in hopes of combating the climate crisis. 

hanna and sophie, both 20, and daan, 19, held a hand painted sign that read, “people over pipelines.” they explained their list of demands, including that mcgill divest from fossil fuels. their hope for the strike was to raise awareness to the public and, as sophie said, “see the youth rise up.” they hope to see a movement that will only grow.

when asked what greta thunberg represented to them, hanna said, “the youth collective as a whole.”

“she represents hope,” another said.

back in jeanne-mance park, the monument to sir george-Étienne cartier loomed over the crowd as people climbed the human sculptures and dressed them in fitting green garments. a young quebecois woman named maye stood with her sign at her feet as she rested against a tree.

maye said she believes that, “if we all come together we can change the system.” 

like many people there, she was optimistic that the climate strike would draw the attention it needs to prompt crucial change. when asked what greta represented to her, she simply and quickly said, “hope.” 

just across the street from maye, an older woman sat on a simple set of stairs that was crowded with eager people. debbie, 62, is also originally from montreal, but now she resides in san diego. she came from california for the climate strike. she was driven by her worry for her children and grandchildren. she fears we are too close to the “tipping point.” she wants action at the municipal level. she wants better accessibility to biking, especially in the winter. she admits though she is losing hope in the provincial and federal level. however, to her, “greta represents the hope.” 

back on the main road, the rowdy, cumbersome crowd shifted onto avenue sherbrooke. stilt walkers, drummers, and chanters entertained. people hopped in and out of local cafes and cheap pizzeria shops to sustain their journey to the end of the march. children clung on to their parent’s shoulders and people proudly hoisted their witty, empowering, and occasionally crude signs high above the crowd. people climbed lampposts and traffic light poles to be higher than anyone else. groups on apartment building roofs waved and stared wide-eyed at the sea of people below.

winding around city streets, with police surrounding the mass, the crowd finally arrived at its destination. a small stage awaited the 500,000 where the bonaventure expressway normally empties a monstrous amount of cars into the city. people continued to chant and elevate their signs.

when greta came on the stage around 4 p.m., nearly four hours after the march officially began, the crowd erupted. each sentence she spoke seemed to move the audience and lift their spirits after a very long walk. she said that canada reminded her of her home, sweden. she compared both countries being “alleged” climate leaders, and how they are both doing too little. she presented scary statistics and accused international leaders of “empty words.” as she announced, “change is coming” people cried and screamed.

having yearned for a change for so long, many people are beginning to see it on the horizon because of greta. it was astonishing to see such a small girl captivate people of all races, genders, sexual orientations, and political backgrounds. maybe it comes after seeing how she maturely handles being mocked by prominent political figures and media “talking heads.” maybe it is because young people see themselves in her, and older people see their children in her. maybe it is because she stands for science at a time when it is more crucial than ever to believe. whatever the reason, she represents hope; and people need hope.

sophie guthrie, 19, rallied alongside the other youth leaders who organized the madison, wisc., strike. guthrie is studying environmental studies and political science in her first year at the university of wisconsin-madison, but she has been involved in this movement long before coming to college.

guthrie’s introduction to the global climate change crisis was in her seventh grade science class. her teacher’s lessons on how extreme weather patterns are linked to climate change sparked her interest in the topic, but guthrie noticed these class discussions were often discouraging and rarely included good news. she felt the pain of the issues and decided it was up to her to do something about it. there was only so much she could learn in the classroom, so guthrie worked on educating herself and her peers. in seventh grade, guthrie was building momentum for what was to come.

the current environmental movement is unique because it has been erected by the voices and actions of youth. now more than ever before, youth in high school and middle school are standing up to support this movement. guthrie believes this change is less in the minds of the youth and more in the acceptance from society.

“there’s never been a youth who doesn’t care about what’s happening to them; it’s just that they’ve been told that they shouldn’t, so they don’t want to share their voice,” she said.

like others, guthrie is inspired by this momentum and power youth, like herself, have found. what starts with an individual, grassroots organizer can lead to rallying a community and initiating a national movement.

after organizing a city climate change march this past spring, guthrie and her peers realized they needed a team to maintain the momentum of this movement. guthrie helped found the youth climate action team (ycat), a non-profit organization with members in city hubs all across the state. having a formal non-profit status is important for this team of youth leaders because it gives members, many of whom are under the age of 18, the validation needed to sign forms such as permits. since its formation in march, the team has grown to about 80 active members. most members range from middle and high school to college-age, but recently, kids as young as fifth grade have reached out to join.

with such a variety in age and experience, collaboration has been key for this organization’s success. without official experience, most members had to rely on learning activism skills from one another. the team also provides a sense of support and a source of energy for each of the members. guthrie admits being a youth activist can be difficult at times.

one of the challenges is dealing with the emotions that this work can produce.

“a lot of us are always angry, and we’re always pissed that we’re doing this. because it’s why do i have to be doing this? why have i been worrying about this since the seventh grade? this shouldn’t be my job,” she said.

“it’s really just each other that keeps me going. if it was just me by myself, i would not still be working on this because burnout is real and people get burned out so fast. it’s allowing each other to take breaks but also helping each other back up after things happen.”

for the global climate strike, the team hoped to localize wisconsin’s events and initiate change at a local government level in order to most effectively tackle each community’s diverse set of problems. ycat leaders established the united goal to push wisconsin’s gov. tony evers to declare a statewide climate emergency, and various cities, including madison, were demanding their local officials to do the same.

in madison, there were activities from sunrise to sunset. guthrie explained this was intentional because they acknowledge that not everyone has the privilege to take the whole day off of work or school to strike. they wanted to make sure there was a way to get involved no matter what time or for how long people may be able to join.

organizing a strike is hard work. guthrie admits that most of the day was filled with stress and anxiety as she was pulled from one task to another, trying to make sure the day ran smoothly. there were moments, though, that stopped her in her tracks. 

“i saw everyone marching down the street, and it was this gigantic crowd…to see all these hundreds of people walking down, it was amazing,” guthrie said.

the crowd was heading to a gathering in the streets outside of madison gas & electric (mg&e), the city’s local utility company. organizers ran teach-ins, tabling from environmental organizations, art construction, and more. from mg&e, the crowd marched to the capitol where there was a rally led by the youth climate action team. following the rally, the crowd entered the capitol rotunda to continue voicing demands for climate change action until the building closed.

guthrie hopes the day’s events will build awareness about the power structures, such as the power of mg&e, at work in madison.

“this shouldn’t be about people going vegetarian or vegan or straws,” guthrie said. “this should be about looking at the companies that are causing the majority of this damage and focusing on taking them down rather than fighting each other. a lot of these things that are holding us back from progress are these companies that are profiting off of our extinction.”

the threat of extinction is one that guthrie takes very seriously. outside of this movement, guthrie explains that she doesn’t have many long-term plans.

“climate change is going to decide what future i have, so i can’t plan for a future if there isn’t one.”

double majoring in political science and french at texas tech university in lubbock, texas, warrior is a political activist for climate change. today she is a part of the 2019 global climate march at one of three strikes held in lubbock. as i interviewed her in the park on the corner of a busy intersection adjacent to the college, chants from other marchers intermingle with the din of traffic in the background.

“what do we want? climate action! when do we want it? now!”

q: why are you here today?

a: i’m here today to support a strike and be a part of the movement to help the next generation live. i recently became president of the tech student democrats on campus and found out about the event through a speaker we met with. our future depends on being politically active and making changes.

q: do you think that climate change and environmental issues have a negative connotation in west texas?

a: (my hometown) has an oil-based economy. lubbock is the same. a lot of people rely on the oilfield as a source of income. we’re a part of that spectrum, but we need to go to other forms of energy. it’s hard for people to accept a shift away from it, but there are little things we can do like recycle and decrease the use of cars.

q: how long do you think it will be until we begin to see noticeable changes?

a: i believe that it will take at least 10 years to decrease carbon emissions, but i believe that with everyone on board we can get there faster.

q: when did you become politically active?

a: i became involved in politics during the last election and became more conscious of decisions in relation to the climate when i realized my own faults during my first year of college. i started realizing how much waste we produce as individuals and as an entire population.

q: what do you see as the most pressing issue in regards to climate change today?

a: the most pressing issue, in my opinion, is the rising temperature levels and extreme weather. 

q: how do you think we can help this particular issue as well as any others that we face?

a: we can start by taking on industries that control single use plastic. we can speak to our representatives and increase regulations that will fight to curb our effect on the planet.

the interview ended, and warrior touched up her sodden sign with a permanent marker. as she made her way back to join the other protesters, the sun began to peek through the clouds and the downpour weakened into a drizzle. adding her voice to the chants of the group, warrior held her sign up proudly.

pielet was the first speaker of the day.

“my entire life has been plagued by the words ‘now is the time to act’ but my generation cannot do this alone,” she said to the crowd, and they cheered in response.

inspired by greta thunberg, the 16-year-old climate activist from sweden famous for starting fridays for future, young people around the world organized local climate strikes. in this worldwide call for climate action, the city of st. petersburg joined in on a momentous day.

pielet was originally drawn to the issue of climate change through her love of animals and the environment. as a child in illinois, she would regularly ask to visit the zoo, aquarium, or go to a park so she could spend time outside and observing animals.

although far from home, she was drawn to the mystery of the oceans in particular, which is why eckerd’s campus was an appealing option for college. the liberal arts school sits on florida’s gulf coast, and on any given day you can see dolphins from the campus’s beach, making it a popular place for marine science and environmental studies students. today pielet stands as the president of eckerd college’s “scubi jews” club, a scuba diving club facilitated by eckerd college’s campus rabbi. as the leader of scubi jews, pielet organizes events such as waterfront clean-ups and dive for debris, where dive-certified students can help clean up the trash found at the ocean floor.

now, looking into the crowd of faces at the climate strike, pielet continued: “we have everything to gain from climate action and everything to lose from inaction.”

the responding enthusiasm from the crowd was infectious. that support likely comes from witnessing climate change, firsthand.

florida faces serious impacts of a changing climate — some of which have already been felt by the intensified hurricanes and sea-level rise. both will continue to worsen if nothing is changed. 

tourism is a large part of florida’s economy, thanks to its beautiful beaches and other recreational opportunities, seafood, and amusement parks. impacts of the climate crisis are an immediate threat to florida’s economy, which is why, pielet said, we need to talk about the money. 

“there will be so many jobs if we start trying to build more green infrastructure, and renewable energy,” she assured. 

the biggest roadblock? political will, pielet said.

one of the struggles in making progress is that many have a different idea of how to go about addressing this issue, or not addressing it at all.

“i don’t think it’s about trying to convince people that (climate change) is real or not,” pielet said, “but it’s more so just voting them out… and voting in people who are serious about it.”

with the 2020 presidential election coming soon, addressing the issue of climate change is more urgent than ever. many who are concerned about the environment are looking for candidates with a climate plan.

the city of st. petersburg proves that important action can be taken at the local level, too. in april 2019, st. petersburg adopted an integrated sustainability action plan, which outlines a blueprint for the city to be fossil fuel-free with a thriving economy by 2035. the plan includes implementing more public transportation and bike routes. 

as i sat speaking to pielet in the park while her dog zoomed around us, i noticed the determination in her voice and the purpose in her tone.

“finally, the pressure is on,” she said.

there are many factors that make switching to a green economy complex, she explained, but it is doable — and our future depends on it. 

after seeing the turnout at the st. petersburg climate strike, where 1,200 people gathered on sept. 20 to demand action, pielet said, “this is the most hope i’ve ever had… this could truly be a turning point.”

we have the groundwork laid out, and now it’s just a matter of acting on it.

once we arrived at forman park, we “gave thanksgiving” to the land we were all standing on and recognized its deeply rooted connection with the people of the haudenosaunee, onondaga nation. 

soon after, people from all walks of life took to the stage to affirm why we were there. from students to local politicians, everyone was energized by their speeches and words of encouragement.

dana balter, 2020 congressional hopeful, preached, “we are not the future, we are now, and we are going to make a change.” 

she later announced her renewed pledge not to accept contributions from the fossil fuel industry in her campaign for new york’s 24th congressional district seat; a powerful political stance in efforts to move away from a society so heavily dependent on fossil fuels.  

one week after the climate strike, i sat down with 19-year-old tamia parsons, a sophomore at syracuse university and one of the leaders of the environmental movement in central new york. here’s our conversation:

q: how are you involved with the environmental movement here on campus?

a: i am one of the hub coordinators for the sunrise movement that organized the protest march.

q: what is the sunrise movement about? 

a: it’s a national organization. it supports the green new deal and pushes politicians to sign a “no fossil fuel” pledge, so they don’t take fossil fuel money and (aims to) get fossil fuels out of politics because there is so much corruption. so here in syracuse, we’re the central new york branch and we started this hub last march. since there are politics associated with the sunrise movement, we’re not an official club on campus. the university did kinda threaten us and told us we couldn’t do any action while on the quad. they said they would remove us. 

(they didn’t.)

q: how has climate change affected your everyday life? 

a: i’m from the san francisco bay area and my town is usually foggy and 60 degrees 80% of the year; seeing that change is very real. we’re actually a huge pumpkin export, no. 1 in the u.s., a strange fact, but seeing all of the crops affected is alarming. i also have a little 10-year-old brother who is the love of my life and thinking about him not having a future, or people his age having to fight for a future, breaks my heart. the people before him didn’t have to do that, why should he? just because he was born during a different time.

q: what specific policies or solutions do you want to emerge from this movement?

a: i feel so strongly about the “no fossil fuel” pledge. i think that getting elected officials at whatever level they’re at onboard is powerful. we have rachel may here, who signed it, dana balter signed it. we want bigger people to sign it, any presidential candidates. we want it to become political poison for candidates not to take the pledge. 

q: how did it feel to be at the strike?

a: i cried. there were so many damn people. we pushed it out on social media, hung up posters, we saw posters being taken down. to see over 500 people there at forman park, even older generations that are not associated with suny esf or su felt so amazing.  they were all there ready to support us. it was energetic and i felt like that’s where i was supposed to be.

q: what is the sunrise movement’s next move?

a: we’re trying to get everyone together in a meeting space to see what our next actions could be. protest-esque things, and possibly do a “die-in.” 

—

if you want to join tamia, check out the sunrise movement and find a local hub near you. if you can’t find one, do what tamia did, and create a new chapter in your own community.

an estimated 7 million people worldwide flooded the streets in the largest uprising for the climate in the history of humanity. starting with the youth climate strike on sept. 20, days prior to the united nations climate summit, young people led the world in a crucial discussion on the catastrophic consequences of policy inaction. with the goal of motivating world leaders, young people have drawn universal attention to global warming in ways that decades of scientific progress could not. 

i had the honor not only to march alongside greta thunberg and other fascinating young adults from all over the world but also to attend high-level meetings in preparation for the general assembly week. witnessing the rallies and demonstrations — from canberra, australia, to kabul, afghanistan; and cape town, south africa, to mcmurdo station in the antarctic — i couldn’t help but think about the impact that my generation is having on climate rhetoric. whether motivated by fear or hope, young people were able to transform the climate conversation in its entirety. unsatisfied by the profound injustice of an existential threat to our generation, we have fueled a wave of activism that is hard to ignore. 

through multiple discussions with demonstrators in new york, i have found yet another common trait: young people have not had to suddenly adapt their worldview to issues of climate change. instead, it serves as a somber backdrop to our dreams throughout our existence.

“this is an emergency. our house is on fire,” greta thunberg said, addressing the crowd of about 300,000 people on sept. 20, proclaiming the notion told by hundreds of scientists previously warning the world.

the empty promises of our world leaders and inaction of those we empowered have accumulated anger that is hard to contain. the fear, anger and hope will only be satisfied once the demands are heard: an immediate end of the extraction and consumption of fossil fuels, prioritization of the frontline communities, workers, and those least responsible for the climate crisis, as well as the accountability from fossil fuel executives and the global north. a just transition to renewable energy is the only outcome that will satisfy generation z, which refuses to become the last generation living on earth, as its title suggests. 

as a result, more than 75 leaders pledged to eliminate their countries’ carbon emissions by 2050, and plenty of european countries committed to spending billions to fund renewable transition for developing nations. the world’s largest economies, however, abstained from making such promises.

“how dare you,” is the message that thunberg and other brave young people communicate to the world.

“it is only the beginning,” they keep chanting.

“the ticket to enter today’s united nations climate action summit is not a beautiful speech, but a concrete plan,” agreed the united nations secretary-general antónio guterres. 

the planet forward series “faces of the climate march” aims to shed light on a handful of those young people who brought hope to all of us, and who will not stop even if, temporarily, their demands were left unmet.