Over 600,000 people across the United States participated in the September 20th Climate Strike to demand that transformative action is taken on the climate crisis. Led by young people, with adult allies as backup, over 1,100 strikes took place across the country, from a four-person strike in Grays Lake, Idaho to 250,000 people in New York City.
Now, one month on, a lot of folks are wondering how to keep the momentum going. Here are four things we can all do.
Register to Vote
Climate Strike organizers emphasized the importance of voting through voter registration efforts at the strikes, dedicated phone numbers that they could text, and a voter information webpage. According to a survey conducted by sociologist Dana R. Fisher at the September strike, “Three-quarters, or 76 percent, of the participants will be eligible to vote in the U.S. 2020 election. And their current levels of civic engagement strongly suggests they will vote.”
The youth coalition prepared a voter registration guide about options to use vote tripling, a process encouraging friends to vote, and text messaging to encourage friends to register to vote.
Support Youth Climate Strike Coalition
The Youth Climate Strike Coalition included nine youth-led climate organizations, including Sunrise Movement, Youth Climate Strike, and Zero Hour. Each organization has vowed to continue working as a coalition on select actions, including future strikes.
“Young people in more than 140 countries are taking to the streets to demand that our political leaders treat the climate crisis like the emergency that it is. Fossil fuel CEOs will stop at nothing to squeeze every last drop of money from the earth — but our generation is mobilizing by the thousands and will strike again and again until we win,” said Sunrise Movement co-founder Varshini Prakash.
Post on Social Media
To keep the conversations going, let friends and family know about the importance of acting now and fast by posting using #ClimateStrike and #StrikeWithUS.
Call Your Representatives
To continue putting pressure on lawmakers, calling lawmakers is an effective method to demand action be taken to protect future generations. All hands are needed on deck, including those who are shy and introverted.
You can also sign up for updates for upcoming strikes here, and check out the Global Climate Strike Action Center for next steps in the United States and around the world.