Youth and adults met outside Centennial Olympic Park for the Youth Climate March with sunshine, reused paintbrushes, and a message for climate change in their hands. The sister march is a part of the Zero Hour movement engaging youth to reclaim the voice of the environment.
Students like Kailen Kim joined the national call-to-action, demanding climate and environmental justice from elected officials.
“We’ve been fighting for climate action for over 40 years now, and we need them to recognize that the youth are also tired of seeing these climate devastations happening,” Kim said.
Gigi Linenger was among the youth organizers who are taking a stand on climate change.
“They just don’t recognize, or they’re just scared of admitting it, the huge power that there is in youth. And it’s coming out, and there’s no stopping us,” Linenger said.
Before marching, Kim explained Zero Hour also recognizes the issues facing several communities.
“This is an environmental issue, but it’s also a people issue. It affects people of color, lower-income families, our society as a whole,” Kim said.
For organizers, the absence of an assembly permit did not stop them from making their voices to public sidewalks.
Marchers chanted, “Together We’ll stop it. The enemy is profit” and “Climate Action. When do we want it? Now.” Some spectators cheered them on.
When marchers arrived at the park around noon, speakers like Michaela Smalley brought a spotlight to the natural disaster in Puerto Rico. A recent Harvard study states Hurricane Maria resulted in an estimated 4,645 deaths.
“The fact that these American citizens have to face this ravaged by an increasing amount of natural disasters that they’ve been living in such poor decisions for years is a humanitarian issue and a disgusting case of environmental injustice,” Smalley said.
While public transportation is one way to reduce carbon footprints, Chris McCaffrey said more can be done on a day-by-day basis.
“One really good way we can limit our water usage is by taking song showers, so just put a song on, and finish your shower before the song is over and that would cut average shower times by drastic amounts,” McCaffrey said.
McCaffrey also reminded voters to take the energy of the movement to the voting booths in November.
“What matters, isn’t just that we show up today. What matters is that we show up this November to show climate-denying lawmakers the way out the door,” McCaffrey said.
Note: This story was written for PRN, the student-led news station at Georgia State University.
