by Zach Seymour ’20

This Friday, September 20, people around the world will come together to advocate for concrete climate initiatives and reform. The Global Climate Strike is based on the model of FridaysForFuture created by teen activist Greta Thunberg. The event on Friday is meant to send a message to the leaders of the international community that the people of the globe will not let the world slip from our hands. This message will come three days before the UN Climate Summit in NYC and has over 2,500 parallel events spanning 150 countries around the world.

One event will take place in D.C. where many MCPS students are expected to attend and make their voices heard. Although the school district stands firm on not excusing protesters’ absences, many students are still planning on turning out this Friday. Local groups such as MOCO Students For Change are also encouraging kids to take the fight to Washington in support of concrete plans to curb the climate crisis. 

Senior Juliana Corn is encouraging her peers to join the strike. “I think it’s important because young people are really becoming the voice of our society. We are the ones that have to live in the world that older generations have ruined and are still ruining,” Corn said. “Legislators and the older generations, in general, will never see how much this affects us unless we strike and show them. Our climate crisis is not just another headline in the news, it is our reality. It is our world, our Earth, we’re inheriting, and we don’t want a ruined one.”

These sentiments are expressed at a time when minors, who cannot legally vote, feel as though they do not have a say in what is happening in the world. According to a Washington Post-KFF Poll, almost 1 in 4 students have taken action to speak out about their concerns on climate change, with 1 in 7 striking for their concerns.