4 Young Climate Activists
Translation: Julie Summers
Steps must be taken to address the global climate crisis, but because of government inaction, young people all over the world have taken matters into their own hands. In the Western world, Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg has been in the limelight recently, but she’s not the only young person who’s caught people’s attention for tirelessly fighting the climate crisis. The Student Paper would like to introduce four young climate activists who have urged governments around the world to take immediate action.
Autumn Peltier
Autumn Peltier is a fifteen-year-old from Canada and a recipient of the Children’s Peace Prize. Known as the “Water Warrior,” she spoke before the UN General Assembly about the importance of securing access to safe drinking water for people all around the world, saying, “Our water should not be for sale. We all have a right to this water as we need it.”
Isra Hirsi
Sixteen-year-old Isra Hirsi is co-founder of the US Youth Climate Strike, a grassroots movement of young people fighting for climate action. Among other things, they organize protests against government inaction. Hirsi, who is from Minneapolis, Minnesota, says the man-made climate crisis is her generation’s problem, and she wants to see immediate steps taken to address it.
Greta Thunberg
Swedish activist Greta Thunberg has been making headlines around the world recently. Thunberg, who is 16 years old, says politicians are responsible for the climate crisis and she challenges governments around the world to take action. Thunberg is the person behind the Fridays for Future climate strikes, which now take place across the world every week. She recently released a book, Our House is on Fire, in which she tells her personal story and talks about her fight for climate action.
Xiuhtezcatl Martinez
Xiuhtezcatl Martinez is a 19-year-old environmental activist and hip-hop musician. He’s from the state of Colorado in the US and has been advocating for the environment since he was just six years old. He works for Earth Guardians, an organization of young people who want to make a difference and promote action against the climate crisis. Martinez has represented Earth Guardians on the international stage, for instance at a UN conference on sustainable development that was held in Rio de Janeiro in 2012.