Portland youth stage climate strike, call for action from state, federal leaders - OregonLive

Portland youth stage climate strike, call for action from state, federal leaders - oregonlive.com

Portland-area students were supposed to be at school Friday, but hundreds of them decided instead to spend their day under a beating hot sun, chanting and carrying cardboard signs advocating climate justice and government action to reduce greenhouse gasses.

River Davis was one of hundreds of students and community members who joined the International Day of Action climate strike in downtown Portland, teens flooding the streets to demand that both state and federal governments declare a climate emergency.

“Seeing how this could impact my future, I want to be here and do something,” said Davis, a student at Catlin Gabel. “This is a really powerful thing for us to be doing.”

The crowd occupied the space in front of City Hall on Friday morning, as leaders from Portland Youth Climate Strike urged participants to fight for a better future, calling it a “pivotal moment in climate justice.”

The normal noises of downtown were drowned out by passionate chants: “Climate Change is not a lie… that is why we have to fight,” the crowd yelled. “When the earth is under attack … that is when we must fight back.”

Hundreds of young people marched through the streets of Portland in a "climate strike," demanding political leaders take action on climate change, on Fri., Sept. 15, 2023.Mark Graves/The Oregonian

The Portland area teens joined a nationwide day of action by young people pushing President Joe Biden to issue an emergency order on climate change. Portland organizers also said they want Gov. Tina Kotek to declare a climate emergency in Oregon and put more resources into addressing climate change and related issues.

Additionally, activists called for the Department of Environmental Quality to deny a permit to international oil company Zenith Energy to curb its distribution of diesel fuel to other states and countries. Zenith is one of many companies that store fuel near the Willamette River, which protestors argue puts the health of the ecosystem and local communities at risk, particularly in the event of an earthquake.

“We don’t have any other choice,” Abby Dalke, one of the adults who joined the protest, said. “We must hold elected officials accountable.”

As the sun beat down, a crowd as wide as the streets marched through downtown, spreading their message. Passing pedestrians showed their support by cheering and recording videos.

Climate change has emerged as a watershed political movement for Generation Z. A report released by the Oregon Health Authority in 2022 found that the acceleration of climate change’s right-here-right-now impacts, from choking wildfires to sweltering summers to drought-parched lakes, weighs heavily on the state’s teens and young adults. Survey respondents told OHA that they were struggling with climate anxiety and felt that adults and policymakers weren’t doing enough to address the climate emergency.

“It angers me,” Grant High student Finn Mayer said as he marched with the crowd. “I have people close to me that don’t believe in this when there is physical and scientific evidence.”

While much of the event was centered around young activists taking control of their future, other climate justice organizations turned out in support, including EcoFaith Recovery.

“People of faith care and are involved too,” said one of their volunteer leaders, Alison Wiley. EcoFaith members ran ahead of the crowd, chanting along and playing music.

“No matter what age you are, there is a place for you,” said Niomi Markel, a recent graduate of St. Mary’s Academy and the logistics lead for Portland Youth Climate Strike. “No one has to stay on the sidelines. This is a together movement.”

Markel said that climate change needs to be viewed considering its effects on people experiencing homelessness and environmental racism: “You can’t address one issue without addressing other issues.”

Students around the state have regularly turned to walkouts and demonstrations to make their point, and teens have also helped push for some of the state’s progressive policies on climate issues. Youth climate activists celebrated Kotek’s recent decision to pause toll collection by the state Department of Transportation until at least 2026, saying it will force a reexamination of plans to widen Interstate 5 at the Rose Quarter after years of youth-led protests against that plan.

Additionally, students were instrumental in Portland Public Schools’ decision to finally adopt a years-in-the-making climate justice policy that aims to substantially reduce the district’s greenhouse gas emissions.

And a coalition of students and teachers is working together to push for a bill that would mandate climate education be incorporated into every subject and grade-level statewide.

Markel said Friday’s event was just the beginning of a year of climate action by Portland Youth Climate Strike.

Austin Williams, a Grant High student, said they felt it was their responsibility to be at the strike as part of a generation that’s grown up with the omnipresent realities of climate change.

“Ever since I was young, I’ve had teachers and peers wanting me to become a climate activist,” Williams said. “This is my chance to uphold that.”

This story was written by Youth Voices contributor Zoe Toperosky, a senior at Ida B. Wells High School. Zoe is the editor-in-chief of the school’s online newspaper, The Headlight. Zoe plans to continue her journey in journalism in college next year.