Fridays For Future Protesters Walk Out Of School To Demand Climate Legislation
Thousands of high school and college students marched from Foley Square to the Brooklyn Bridge to protest government inaction on climate change.
(Jason Alpert-Wisnia via Washington Square News)
by Emma Grimes
This story was originally published on New York University’s Washington Square News.
Thousands of people marched across the Brooklyn Bridge from Foley Square (last) Friday afternoon, calling for legislators to pass a bill aimed at reducing net carbon emissions in New York to zero. If passed, the bill will set a target for New York state to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
Many in attendance were high school and college students who walked out of class to protest climate policies in the United States.
At the forefront of the march were members of the New York City chapter of Fridays for Future, the worldwide student organization founded by climate activist Greta Thunberg in 2018. Student members of Extinction Rebellion, an international organization that advocates for climate action, also attended the protest.
Gigi Weisberg, a Gallatin sophomore who attended Friday’s march, founded the New York City student chapter of Extinction Rebellion last spring. Weisberg said she thinks it is important for young people to speak out on climate issues because they will be more affected by climate change than past generations.
“The march is really cool because it’s organized by the high school students, and they’ve all walked out,” Weisberg said. “They’re really making something that we can all look for in young people who should be leading the movement.”
Read the rest of the story at Washington Square News.