Led by 16-year-old Greta Thunberg, young and old people around the world rallied to make a bold statement about the future of humanity.
After years of equivocation on climate issues by politicians and leaders around the world, young people have had enough.
That’s the message from the young leaders of Friday’s global climate protests, which drew hundreds of thousands of people to climate “strikes” around the world in anticipation of a U.N. summit in New York.
“We see the world as it is, we see it really clearly,” says activist Jeremy Ornstein, 18. “Seeing it as it is and as it could be — that’s what we call moral clarity.”
In Boston, Ornstein and thousands of other young activists gathered at City Hall Plaza, before making their way to the Massachusetts Statehouse building. Ornstien gave an address to a cheering crowd, as did older figures, like Obama Administration EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy.
Similar scenes played out across the U.S. on Friday, with more than 800 climate protests planned across the nation, according to the Associated Press. In city after city, from New York to San Francisco, images emerged of streets packed with young people demanding their voices be heard.
Demonstrations across Asia and the Pacific kicked off the day of action, which spread to Africa and Europe, with crowds turning out in Paris, London and Berlin, before nearing their completion in the United States where Thunberg rallied.
From Berlin to Boston, Kampala to London, Seoul to Sao Paulo, protesters brandished signs with slogans including “There is no planet B” and “Make The Earth Great Again.”
Mexico was no exception
In Mexico City, about 500 people marched from the Angel of Independence monument to the central square downtown in a demonstration meant to pressure the Mexican government to do more to combat climate change. The marchers were of all ages, including children and the elderly, but university students appeared to be the largest bloc participating.
One student, Armando Lopez, 21, said, “We all have to be conscious of how to care for the planet, and in Mexico the president should declare a national climate emergency.” Lopez criticized President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s emphasis on building more refineries and increasing Mexico’s petroleum extraction capabilities while downplaying the development of renewable energy sources.
Organizers said there were 60 such marches and rallies across Mexico on Friday Sep. 20th.
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