Greta Thunberg Urges Youth to Continue Striking for Environmental Change

Climate activist Greta Thunberg says the youth must be ready to continue striking to call for action on environmental change—insisting that something must be done fast about climate change.

Thunberg spoke Friday in Denver, where she said she was overwhelmed by thousands of people in the climate strike rally. She noted that those supporting the event represent "real hope."

She again criticized the leaders for not doing enough for the environment and ignoring science. The activist likewise underscored that the youth is "consistently tired" of being betrayed by those who are supposed to work for our greater good. 

"The political leaders can't seem to think beyond the next election, and that needs to come to an end," the 16-year-old Swedish activist said.

She asked the leaders several times, "How dare they?" as she repeated the line from her delivered speech at the United Nations last month.

The strike originated from Thunberg's "Fridays for Future" protests, which started in August 2018 after she remained outside the Swedish parliament to protest the lack of action on climate change. 

The Swedish activist urged the public to consistently attend the "Fridays for Future" protests "for as long as it takes." Thunberg explained the movement to millions of people, saying that the leaders must act on science, and demands a secure future for all, which something that they must not ignore.

She added that people have no other choice than to take responsibility for the pressing issue on the environment since "leaders are behaving like children."

Condemnation of politicians and youth engagement while calling to action on climate change are common for Thunberg, whose advocacy against pressing issues made her an apparent frontrunner for the Peace Prize.

Thunberg was nominated and considered the crowd's favorite to win the Nobel Peace Prize after her protests caught the attention of millions of people worldwide.

After the judges passed her up for the Nobel Peace Prize, the Nobel committee awarded the prestigious prize to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

Julia Witteman, a junior at the University of Colorado Boulder, told the Denver Post that she attended the strike Friday as political leaders don't seem to have a sense of urgency on climate issues.

Mina Doeble, another student from Merril Middle School in Denver, skipped her classes to join the protest and brought a sign that read, "I'll stop skipping school when you stop skipping the climate pact."

"Our generation is being affected by climate change, so we're the ones that have to live with it," the seventh-grader told the Denver Post.

Dante Lanthier, one of those students who attended the event, also told AFP in a separate interview that Thunberg assisted in voicing out the thoughts he did not know how to word.

Students have been among the most receptive of audiences for Thunberg, who began emulating academic disobedience. It led to organized school walkouts and the rise of the "Fridays for Future" movement, which organized the event in Denver.

Friday's event also featured traditional Ute songs and incense burnings, hymns, and prayers. Tribal members likewise reminded those participants that their communities are often on the forefronts of climate change.