Marching for the Planet

On Friday, September 20, 2019, 14-year-old Alexandria Villaseñor didn’t go to school. She and other students enrolled in New York City public schools were excused for the day so they could instead take to the streets. Alexandria joined thousands of kids chanting slogans and holding colorful signs that read “There’s no Planet B!” and “If you don’t act like adults, we will.”

That same day, an estimated 4 million people marched in similar demonstrations in more than 150 countries and on all seven continents—including Antarctica. The goal of these protests, known as the Global Climate Strikes, was to sound the alarm on climate change. Average global temperatures on Earth have been steadily increasing. The warming trend is causing ice caps at the North and South poles to melt, sea levels to rise, and extreme weather to intensify.

That’s why young people like Alexandria are speaking out. She and other kids are worried about their future and want world leaders to step up to protect the planet. “We will continue protesting until they listen to us,” says Alexandria.

On Friday, September 20, 2019, Alexandria Villaseñor didn’t go to school. The 14-year-old was excused for the day. So were other students in New York City public schools. This was so they could take to the streets instead. Alexandria and thousands of kids chanted slogans and held colorful signs. Some signs read “There’s no Planet B!” Others read “If you don’t act like adults, we will.”

That same day, about 4 million people took part in similar marches. It happened in more than 150 countries and on all seven continents, including Antarctica. These protests are known as the Global Climate Strikes. Their goal was to warn about climate change. Average global temperatures on Earth have been rising steadily. This is causing ice caps at the North and South poles to melt and sea levels to rise. It’s also making extreme weather more intense.

That’s why young people like Alexandria are speaking out. She and other kids are worried about their future. They want world leaders to take action to protect the planet. “We will continue protesting until they listen to us,” says Alexandria.

The past five years have been the hottest on record. Scientists say that human actions are largely to blame. People rely on fossil fuels—like coal, oil, and natural gas—to power cars, businesses, and homes. But burning these fuels produces greenhouse gases that trap heat in Earth’s atmosphere, causing global temperatures to rise (see The Greenhouse Effect).

Higher temperatures are melting glaciers and ice sheets. That meltwater drains into the ocean. At the same time, ocean waters are heating up, which causes them to expand. As a result, the sea’s volume has increased. That’s causing more flooding in low-lying coastal areas. Some island communities are already relocating because their homes are now underwater.

A warmer world has led to more extreme weather too. Hurricanes, which are fueled by warm ocean waters, are becoming stronger. Heat waves are becoming longer and more severe. Intense heat is often accompanied by droughts. These long periods without rain can destroy crops and deplete reservoirs, increasing the risk of food and water shortages. The hotter it gets, the more extreme these phenomena become. “The impacts of climate change just get worse with higher temperatures,” says Natalie Mahowald, a climate scientist at Cornell University in New York.

The past five years have been the hottest on record. Human actions are mostly to blame, say scientists. Coal, oil, and natural gas are fossil fuels. People use them to power cars, businesses, and homes. But burning these fuels produces greenhouse gases. The gases trap heat in Earth’s atmosphere. That causes global temperatures to rise (see The Greenhouse Effect). 

Higher temperatures are melting glaciers and ice sheets. That meltwater drains into the ocean. At the same time, ocean waters are heating up and expanding. As a result, the sea’s volume has increased. That’s causing more flooding in low-lying coastal areas. Some island communities are already moving, because their homes are now underwater.

A warmer world has led to more extreme weather too. Warm ocean waters fuel hurricanes, and these storms are becoming stronger. Heat waves are becoming longer and hotter. Intense heat often comes with droughts, long periods without rain. They can destroy crops and use up water supplies. That increases the risk of food and water shortages. The hotter it gets, the more extreme these events become. “The impacts of climate change just get worse with higher temperatures,” says Natalie Mahowald, a climate scientist at Cornell University in New York.

Climate change can also worsen wildfires, like those that recently ravaged Australia, killing dozens of people and destroying millions of acres of land. In 2018, California experienced a similarly tragic wildfire season—the deadliest and most devastating one in the state’s history.

Alexandria, the teen climate activist from New York, experienced this disaster firsthand while visiting family in California. Alexandria has asthma, a medical condition that can make breathing difficult. Her family sent her home early as smoke from the blazes filled the air. “I was really upset because my friends and family were still close to the fires,” says Alexandria.

Climate change can also worsen wildfires, like the recent ones in Australia. They killed dozens of people and destroyed millions of acres of land. In 2018, California also had a horrible wildfire season. It was the deadliest and most destructive in the state’s history.

Alexandria, the teen climate activist from New York, saw this disaster firsthand. She was visiting family in California. Alexandria has asthma. This medical condition can make breathing difficult. Smoke from the blazes filled the air, so her family sent her home early. “I was really upset because my friends and family were still close to the fires,” says Alexandria.

Back home, Alexandria learned that climate change can intensify wildfires by drying out trees and making them more prone to burning. Seeing the effects of climate change up close made her want to do something about it. Then she watched a video about a Swedish teenager named Greta Thunberg. In August 2018, 15-year-old Greta began protesting in front of the Swedish Parliament on Fridays to draw attention to the climate crisis. “Seeing her was so inspiring,” says Alexandria. “I finally knew what I could do to make my voice heard.”

About a month after witnessing California’s wildfires, Alexandria began protesting in front of the United Nations (U.N.) headquarters in New York City every Friday. Now, dozens of students join her. She also helped plan the huge march that took place in the city last September.

Back home, Alexandria learned that climate change can make wildfires more intense. That’s because it dries out trees, so they burn more easily. When she saw the effects of climate change up close, she wanted to do something about it. Then she watched a video about a Swedish teenager, Greta Thunberg. In August 2018, 15-year-old Greta began protesting in front of the Swedish Parliament on Fridays. She wanted to draw attention to the climate crisis. “Seeing her was so inspiring,” says Alexandria. “I finally knew what I could do to make my voice heard.”

About a month after seeing California’s wildfires, Alexandria took action. She began protesting in front of the United Nations (U.N.) headquarters in New York City every Friday. Now, dozens of students join her. The huge march happened in the city last September. Alexandria helped plan it.

Alexandria wasn’t the only teen inspired by Greta’s protests. In fact, they sparked a global movement, prompting kids around the world to take a stand against climate change.

Jean Hinchliffe, a 16-year-old in Sydney, Australia, lives half a world away from Alexandria. She played a major role in the September climate demonstrations in her area. Jean decided to get involved after reading about a 2018 U.N. report warning that the world had 12 years left to avoid the worst effects of climate change. “It really scared me,” says Jean. “I was 14 years old when the report came out. I would be 26 by that deadline.”

Jean often meets with politicians to try to convince them to pass laws to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Experts agree that to keep climate change in check, countries around the world will have to cut greenhouse gas emissions roughly in half by 2030. To do that, world leaders need to pass laws to limit pollution from vehicles, factories, and power plants. They also need to encourage businesses and homeowners to switch to renewable energy sources, like wind and solar power, that don’t generate greenhouse gases.

Greta’s protests inspired Alexandria and many other teens. In fact, her protests started a global movement. Kids around the world decided to take a stand against climate change.

Jean Hinchliffe is a 16-year-old in Sydney, Australia. She lives half a world away from Alexandria. In September, she played a big role in the climate demonstrations in her area. Jean had read about a 2018 U.N. report. It warned that the world had only 12 years to avoid the worst effects of climate change. That’s when she decided to get involved. “It really scared me,” says Jean. “I was 14 years old when the report came out. I would be 26 by that deadline.”

Jean often meets with politicians. She tries to convince them to pass laws to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Experts agree that action is needed to keep climate change in check. Countries around the world will have to cut greenhouse gas emissions in about half by 2030. How? World leaders need to pass laws to limit pollution from vehicles, factories, and power plants. They must also encourage businesses and homeowners to switch to renewable energy sources, like wind and solar power. These don’t create greenhouse gases.

Jean is happy so many kids are taking action against climate change and encourages others to do the same. You could set up an environmental club at school to bring awareness to climate change’s effects, she says. Or make lifestyle changes to reduce the greenhouse gases you produce (see What You Can Do).

These actions can have an impact, says Alexandria. But lawmakers around the world can address climate change on a much larger scale. Until they do, says Alexandria, “I will continue raising my voice.”

Jean is happy so many kids are taking action against climate change. She encourages others to do the same. You could set up an environmental club at school, she says. That would bring attention to climate change’s effects. Or make lifestyle changes, so you’ll produce less greenhouse gases (see What You Can Do).

These actions can make a difference, says Alexandria. But lawmakers around the world can do much more to address climate change. Until they do, says Alexandria, “I will continue raising my voice.”