Meet the 13-Year-Old Organizer of the US Youth Climate Strike

Getty Images: Cindy Ord / Stringer

On March 15, more than 1.5 million students in 120 countries left school to protest the inaction of adults and politicians on one of the most pressing issues facing their generation: climate change. Inspired by 16-year-old Greta Thunberg, who began striking outside the Swedish parliament building last year (and was later awarded a Nobel Prize), young people around the globe have built a massive movement for climate justice -- and they’re not done yet.

On Friday, May 3, 13-year-old Haven Coleman and her US Youth Climate Strike co-founders, Isra Hirsi and Alexandria Villaseñor, will once again encourage students to fight for our futures and for our planet. In the second round of US Youth Climate Stikes, thousands of young activists and students across the country will skip school and continue to speak truth to power.

Find a climate strike near you and join Haven in holding lawmakers accountable on environmental issues. Looking for inspiration? Read our conversation with her from March.

Tell us about the US Youth Climate Strike. What’s going down, what do you expect to happen, and where can people get involved?

The US Youth Climate Strike was inspired by Greta Thunberg of Stockholm, Sweden, who has been striking from school outside her parliament every Friday since the beginning of this school year. We strike in solidarity with Greta and her organization #FridaysForFuture. Friday, March 15, is what’s being called a deep strike day for the world. 90+ countries will be striking. For those wanting to get involved here in the US go to www.youthclimatestrikeus.org for more information and a map to find a strike near you.

What inspired you to start the strike?

Seeing Greta strike week after week for months now inspired me to both strike with her weekly and also organize the US for the worldwide strike day. Following the hashtag #climatestrike was a big inspiration too for me. How can you not want to join in when you see photos of thousands of other youth fighting all over the world for our futures?

How have you or others you know been affected by climate change? Why is climate justice so important to you?

I live in Colorado where we are already being visibly affected by climate change. The air in the summers is filled with wildfire smoke and fracking pollution which triggers my asthma. The terrible air quality makes it hurt to breathe. Our mountain forests are turning brown and dying from pine beetle infestations made worse by the warmer weather. We are in a 19-year drought and our ski season is shorter, because our snow begins later and ends earlier. When I am an adult, Denver’s climate will be more like Albuquerque, New Mexico’s. I’m not ok with our water supply being gone, not being able to breathe, or never seeing snow again.

I am fighting for the plants, for the animals, for myself, for millions of lives, for future generations, and for survival.

What do you hope to accomplish from the strike? What kind of change do you want to see from lawmakers and others?

I hope that our weekly Friday strikes and US Youth Climate Strike’s world strike days will influence US youth that have never been climate activists to start fighting for our future. We are asking that lawmakers give us a Green New Deal.

If students can’t join the strike, how can they show support for the movement?

There are a lot of students and adults who aren’t able to attend a strike on March 15, and we are asking that they wear green to show that their hearts are with the movement.

What would you to say to someone to says, “Leave it to the adults” and that you’re too young to affect this issue?

Why leave it to the adults? They have not been acting, wasting decades of time to fight. Stopping the youth who are fighting now is stopping action on climate change.

We cannot waste another valuable minute on waiting for the adults to step up. Every second counts and every voice is a wave of power fighting climate change.

How do you respond to people who disagree with you or don’t understand the importance of climate justice?

I don’t spend time arguing with the people who disagree. It’s like pushing against a brick wall. I spend my energy on encouraging the people who know that climate change is real to start acting.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Don’t give up. We can’t stop climate change entirely (that chance ended in the 1970’s), but we can still stop the worst of consequences. We can do this! Together!