Teens organize for climate action

The phenomena of teenagers striking for climate change action began with 15-year-old Greta Thunberg holding the first ‘School Strike For Climate’ in 2018 and snowballed into a worldwide movement.

January 2023 was the seventh warmest January in the NOAA (Nation Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) record, making 2023 the warmest year in NOAA’s global climate record since it began in 1880. As the temperature rises, more young adults stand in support of climate change regulatory acts, while older adults prefer to maintain current practices. In a Center survey published in 2022, 67% of American Republicans under age 30 claimed to prioritize the development of alternative energy sources, while 75% of Republicans 65 or older supported the expansion of coal and oil production, illustrating the importance of climate change among different age groups.

In response to the climate concerns among teenagers and young adults, Greta Thunderburg founded Fridays for Future in 2018, an international youth-led and organized organization dedicated to taking action against climate change. True to its name, members walk out of school on Fridays to have various climate demands met. As of Aug. 2019, these demands included keeping the global temperature below 1.5 °C compared to pre-industrial levels, ensuring climate justice and equity, and listening to the best united science currently available.

“So, we say to those who question our actions: How can we study or work for a future, which is being destroyed in front of our eyes? We are losing football-sized fields of irreplaceable Amazon rainforest every minute. Why should we spend the time and effort on an education, when our governments are not listening to the finest scientists?” Fridays For Future stated on its website.

A similar, local organization founded in 2020, PYCS (Portland Youth Climate Strike), set up a strike on Sep. 15, 11 AM at Portland City Hall to demand that Governor Tina Kotek combat the climate crisis and declare a state of climate emergency, making Oregon the second state to do so after Hawaii. They also demanded that the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality deny Zenith Energy their Air Contaminant Discharge Permit, citing Zenith's operations as having a negative impact on the greater Portland Metro Area. Despite the ongoing strikes and environmental programs such as the Climate Protection Program and the Clean Fuels Program, Oregon didn’t meet its climate goals in 2021 or 2022.

“If we are to have any hope of living a livable future for our generation, we need elected officials to act now,” student speaker Cassidy Miller said. “From deadly wildfires in Maui, to flooding in California, hurricanes in Florida, extreme heat across the country, young people across the country are fighting to survive in an increasingly deadly world.