Greta Teams up with Youth Climate Strike in Los Angeles
Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old Swedish global activist, took to the streets together with the Youth Climate Strike on Friday in Los Angeles City Hall. She is the prominent figure of the international movement known as Fridays For the Future, which organizes the Climate Strikes.
Thousands of young climate change activists demanded California Governor Gavin Newsom phase out the oil industry in California, one of the largest oil-producing states in the country.
"We have oil drilling right next to our homes; we have oil refineries," mentioned Nizgui Gomez, a freshman Santa Monica College student.
A banner on top of the stage read, "Governor Newsom: It's your last chance to choose: Our Future or Fossil Fuels."
Before Thunberg arrived in Los Angeles, she traveled across North America in a borrowed car. She also cruised through a zero-emission sailboat to the United States, before steadily making her way across the country to spread awareness about climate change.
"Today, in California, we can see the wildfires happening just around the corner; wildfires that are being intensified by the climate crisis,” Thunberg said to the crowd.
According to the Congressional Research Service, the number of acres devoured by wildfires has inflated since 2000, with 72,400 wildfires clearing seven million acres of U.S. land each year.
"Right now, we are living at the beginning of a climate and ecological breakdown, and we cannot continue to look away from this crisis anymore,” Thunberg added.
Five of the latest wildfires that happened in October, including Saddleridge, Kincade, Getty, Easy, and Maria, were all prompted by the broken power lines. The most recent one that broke out was Maria wildfire, which burned the top of the South Mountain between Santa Paula and Somis.
"Why all the people in power still pretending that everything is fine as if we could continue to live like now as if there was no tomorrow?" asked Thunberg. The energized crowd cheered and applauded.
“We young people have had enough. We say no more. And if our parents won’t speak up for us, then we will,” declared Thunberg.
Other young climate activists also spoke up on the stage and expressed their frustration to the government leaders.
“We’re not going to stop striking until they start listening to us,” said Chandini Brennan Agarwal, 16, a sophomore at New West Charter School on L.A.’s Westside.
A central demand amongst multiple organizations present at the strike was the need for a Green New Deal.
“Green New Deal is reminiscent of the policy back in the 40s', comprehensive, not only [in] climate action but also [in] workers' rights, as well as indigenous rights and things to help protect our world and generate millions of jobs in the process," explained Jackson Carol, a USC student.
Famed actor and climate activist Leonardo DiCaprio described Thunberg as a "leader of our time." He met and discussed with Greta about securing a brighter future for the planet. He addressed on his Instagram, "I hope that Greta's message is a wake-up call to world leaders everywhere that the time for inaction is over."