When Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish environmental activist, came to New York for the UN climate summit, she found lots of supporters among young Americans.
Over 300 American activist groups joined the global climate strikes, which Thunberg promoted and co-organized. Some of the major climate groups included 350.org, which co-organized the 9/20 New York strikes, March for Science, Friends of the Earth U.S., Greenpeace USA and The Climate Reality Project.
Lauren Drabenstott, co-president of Earth Matters, said, “We definitely are on board with the things she and the climate strikes are promoting.” Drabenstott and other youth activists emphasized how Thunberg’s actions influenced the activists’ plans for the future, making them want to push for their goals even harder.
Thunberg is considered the founder of the Fridays for Future movement, which is active in over 150 countries around the world. During her visit to the U.S., Thunberg motivated millions of people, especially youth, to join her for the global climate strikes surrounding the UN climate summit and climate week. She has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, received the 2019 Ambassador of Conscience Award by Amnesty International USA and has continued to challenge world leaders in her fight for climate action. Thunberg addressed Congress and spoke at the UN climate summit, appealing to leaders’ consciences by saying they have “stolen her dreams and her childhood with their empty words.”
Although youth climate activism has existed in the U.S. for quite a long time, Thunberg has functioned as a fresh breeze sweeping over the movement, inspiring young people to ramp up their efforts and activism to match the urgency of the climate crisis.
Recent data from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and a CBS News Poll on American public opinion concerning climate change illustrates that two thirds of Americans regard climate change as real and as a serious problem—something that could not have been said a few years ago. When it comes to making necessary changes, however, the American population seems less motivated, with only roughly 50 percent stating that action needs to be taken immediately.
Carolyn Kissane, academic director of the Center for Global Affairs at New York University, who teaches about energy and the environment, thinks that the problem isn’t a lack of awareness of climate change in general, but the fact that the urgency of the crisis isn’t clear to many people in the U.S..
However, a recent UN report reveals the need for immediate and drastic action. It shows that if emissions aren’t reduced and global warming isn’t slowed down, hazardous weather phenomena such as hurricanes and landslides will steadily increase and millions of people, especially those living in coastal and high mountain regions, will have to relocate.
Although polls show that half the U.S. population doesn’t see the urgency, the vast majority of younger Americans believe that humans are responsible for climate change and that the climate crisis will cause them personal harm. The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication found that global warming is personally important to 73 percent of millennials. According to a Washington Post climate change survey, 1 in 4 teenagers has taken public action, including participating in strikes, walkouts or rallies and sending personal letters to public officials. These numbers illustrate the spark of climate activism Thunberg and other youth activists have ignited all around the world.
Interviews with representatives from Earth Matters and The Climate Reality Project give an example of how Thunberg has inspired some of the major youth activism groups in the U.S., and how youth activists are joining Thunberg’s fight to mobilize the population of the U.S., the world’s second largest emissions contributor.
Earth Matters, which was founded in 1982, is the largest and oldest environmental club at New York University. The group’s goal is to provide the necessary resources and training for those interested in making a difference. They organize events and programs such as street fairs, summits and workshops. The Climate Reality Project, founded by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, wants to train and empower people all around the world to become activists. So far, they have mobilized over 19,000 activists in over 150 countries.
Drabenstott, Earth Matter’s co-president, couldn’t affirm that Thunberg had a particularly strong impact on the club and its agenda as a whole, but said she had influenced their interests and approach to environmentalism.
“We love it! We think it’s so badass. She’s awesome and the things that she is trying to do to create the new generation of environmental stewards is also the same kind of thing Earth Matters wants to do,” said Drabenstott.
Drabenstott’s biggest fear is that action to prevent serious consequences for the environment won’t be taken soon enough. The increasing number of strikes, trends towards zero waste, vegan/vegetarian lifestyles and thrift shopping, however, give her hope that a fundamental change within society may be underway. Thunberg was able to strengthen Drabenstott’s faith that a single person’s actions can matter. ”Just look at Greta, she is one person and has made a huge difference already,” said Drabenstott.
Emery Kiefer, Climate Reality’s campus corps organizer, said in an interview that the biggest issue is the short amount of time left to solve the crisis. While Kiefer thinks that all age groups have an important place within the movement, she thinks that there is a lot more at stake for the younger generation.
“For young people, it’s literally a fight for our lives. In 11 years, I personally will be 35 and that’s the time when I have to decide whether I want to have children. Those are decisions I can’t necessarily make, or my parents and grandparents didn’t have to think twice about,” she said.
The Climate Reality Project has been supporting youth activists for many years. Thunberg has provided them with a new perspective on how to tackle the climate crisis. They look up to her for leadership and admire how she has inspired people across the world, young and old, to take the strike for climate action seriously. To them, Thunberg has formed the basis for changing the narrative and giving youth the voice that they deserve.
Though Emery and The Climate Reality Project fully support Thunberg and her mission, as well as the transformations she has caused, she drew attention to the fact that Thunberg didn’t actually invent climate activism, and that other young climate leaders need to be acknowledged as well.
“One thing I hope adults recognize is that there are youths that have been striking and taking action for so long, and they need to know their names as well. It’s not a one-off case. Youths all across the planet have been demanding climate action for such a long time and adults just haven’t been listening,” Kiefer said.
Despite many positive reactions, the Friday student strikes have also caused controversies; the main critique concerns students’ skipping school. Both Drabenstott and Kiefer said that strikes are what have caused widespread attention in the past and continue to be an important tool to generate political pressure. However, they think that young people need to take other actions as well, such as running for city council, talking to members of Congress or decarbonizing their personal lives, all of which have an equally important impact.
Kissane, the NYU professor, doubts that walking out of school on Fridays will be a long-term way for young Americans to protest because of school policies around attendance.
When asked about her expectations for the future, Kissane said that “it all comes down to a much bigger commitment and to a much larger energy transition.” To Kissane, individual action is just as important as the youth activists consider it to be, because it can move collective action, ultimately influencing corporate behavior.
“From an individual level, we have to be conscious of our own consumption and what we’re personally doing. It’s one thing just to say that we want a lot of change, but if we’re not changing our individual actions, then it’s hard to expect others to do so,” Kissane said.
Upon receiving the Ambassador of Conscience award, Thunberg did not accept it for herself, but for ”all of those fearless youths fighting for their future.” Youth activists from Earth Matters and The Climate Reality project intend to honor Thunberg through their future actions. Earth Matters’ main focus will be to follow Thunberg’s example and increase its activism “to not just talk, but act on what they say.” The Climate Reality Project hopes to extend a hand to adults, spreading the movement over all age groups instead of just focusing on the younger generation. The two representatives also place high hopes in the next election and the Democratic candidates and their environmental plans. “The new generation of voters that we have right now is the most intelligent and ready for recognizing the world for what it is and to vote for the policies they need to be successful and have a livable future,” Kiefer added.
In general, young Americans seem optimistic that their movements will cause change. A recent UN survey found that 89 percent of youth respondents affirmed that young people can make a difference. Kiefer and Drabenstott are convinced that humanity has the tools for these changes at hand, and that these tools just need to be implemented in order to move forward.
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