Teen Activist Energizes Climate Action at Town Hall

For years, climate change and environmental issues have proven to be the human rights puzzle that politicians and scientists have yet to solve. However, Greta Thunberg, a fervent student climate activist from Sweden decided to take a stand against this period of inefficiency- and staged a strike by walking out of school and demanding change at the Swedish Parliament. At first this odd practice puzzled classmates, teachers, and legislators but her continued efforts to defend her beliefs sparked a global movements of student climate strikers. These students have organized town halls- one taking place locally in Phoenix- and have created a conversation between politicians and students to enact climate reform and other policies.

Now, Aditi Narayanan, founder of Zero Hour Phoenix and youth coordinator for Climate Strike AZ has taken these principles and initiated youth-led strikes and town halls locally. I had the opportunity to attend the Youth Environmental Town Hall at the Tempe History Museum that featured local representatives and provided a space for the public to engage in conversation about conservation.

Representative Epstein from Legislative District (LD) 18 spoke about “operating under Greta Thunberg’s language” and “finding solutions that address the issues that affect communities today.” She drew a connection between climate policy and the economy stating that “if we do not have water, we conclusively do not have industry.” Co-speaker, Representative Blanc from LD 26 addressed the question, how can we circumvent the horrible occurrences that communities are witnessing locally and globally? She concluded that this period of stagnation is due to the fact that “as people we have become so partisan and instead we must focus on the bigger picture.”

Other notable speakers such as Sandy Bahr from the Sierra Club and Jennifer Martin from Central Arizona Water Conservation District brought up the importance of acknowledging the native land that we are on as Arizonians and devising common sense climate and energy plans that still allow local industry to thrive.

The town hall was structured in a question and answer format and I personally found it inspiring to hear the experiences, stories, and questions from curious audience members and residents. Through the efforts of youth organizations, community engagement, and activists, the puzzle surrounding environmental policy and legislation is starting to piece together.