By James Bennett III
St. Petersburg will join 21 other Florida cities in protesting climate change Sept. 20.
According to the event’s Facebook page, conservationists will meet at St. Petersburg City Hall, 175 Fifth St. N, around noon to “demand real climate action from our elected officials.”
The event was inspired by Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old girl from Sweden who chose to sail — rather than fly — to New York to speak at a United Nations Climate Action Summit. Last year, Thunberg sat on the Swedish Parliament’s steps for three weeks during school hours and demanded that the Swedish government prioritize the fight against climate change.
In line with Thunberg’s protests, students are encouraged to walk out of their schools and demand that their governments work harder to fight climate change. Adults are encouraged to walk out of their jobs, too.
This year, according to strikewithus.org, there will be climate strikes in roughly 150 countries. There are 22 climate strikes organized in Florida.
USF St. Petersburg SG President Jadzia “Jazzy” Duarte is among the crowd that plans to peacefully protest outside City Hall.
“I feel like, inevitably, (climate change) is going to affect everyone, no matter who you are, or where you are in the world. It’s affecting people now,” she said. “I think we just need to start taking affirmative action in it.”
