Global Climate Strike 2019

In September of 2019, 3 days before the UN Climate Summit, over 4 million individuals worldwide (163 different countries + all 7 continents) marched to demand transformative action be taken to address the climate crisis. I marched in Chicago, IL that day + photographed the experience. In this blog, I’m going to discuss the Global Climate Strike of 2019, why we march + how you can get involved.

US Climate Strike Demands

Organizations including Earth Guardians, Earth Uprising, Extinction Rebellion Youth US, Fridays For Future, International Indigenous Youth Council, Sunrise, US Youth Climate Strike, + Zero Hour have created the following list of consensus-based demands:

A Green New Deal

• Transform our economy to 100% clean, renewable energy by 2030 and phase out all fossil fuel extraction through a just and equitable transition, creating millions of good jobs
• A halt to all leasing and permitting for fossil fuel extraction, processing and infrastructure projects immediately

Respect of Indigenous Lands and Sovereignty

• Honor the treaties protecting Indigenous lands, waters, and sovereignty by the immediate halt of all construction, leasing, and permitting for resource extraction, processing, and infrastructure projects affecting or on Indigenous lands
• Recognize the Rights of Nature into law to protect our sacred ecosystems and align human law with natural law to ban resource extraction in defense of our environment and people

Environmental Justice

• A transition that invests in prosperity for communities on the frontlines of poverty and pollution
• Welcoming those displaced by the cumulative effects of the climate crisis, economic inequality, violence, and lack of opportunity

Protection and Restoration of Biodiversity

• Protection and restoration of 50% of the world’s lands and oceans including a halt to all deforestation by 2030

Implementation of Sustainable Agriculture

• Investment in farmers and regenerative agriculture and an end to subsidies for industrial agriculture

Why Are People Marching for Climate Justice?

According to an official report by the United Nations, we have 12 years until global temperatures could reach an irreversible tipping point. Extreme weather events are already taking a major toll in certain parts of the world, especially in developing countries. Everyone on this earth is affected by climate change. We are currently experiencing the 6th mass extinction, meaning most or all life on earth will die. This is the only mass extinction in the history of our planet that has been caused by a single species. Leading scientists predict that if global temperatures continue to rise, the human race could be extinct within 100 years.

“Climate change is happening now and to all of us. No country or community is immune,”  said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. “And, as is always the case, the poor and vulnerable are the first to suffer and the worst hit.”

How to Get Involved + Fight For Your Right to a Future

• Fridays for Future march every Friday. Find strikes near you here.
• Online activism is powerful, as well. Sign petitions, email government officials, and use your voice whenever you have the chance.
• Knowledge is power. Read books and watch documentaries. You can even take classes or online courses about climate change and how to help.
• Be mindful of what you consume. Animal agriculture is one of the leading causes of climate change. It is also the leading cause of water depletion and pollution, ocean dead zones, deforestation, species extinction, and habitat loss. According to an official UN report, eating a plant-based diet cuts your carbon footprint in half.
• Vote for officials who take the climate crisis seriously.