Children around the world are lobbying, marching and even suing their governments to take greater action against climate change.
Over the weekend youth-led organization Zero Hour orchestrated three days of action, culminating with a youth climate march in Washington DC.
Fritz Myer
United States —
Youth activists have been at the forefront of a number of climate lawsuits against governments, including the 21 young plaintiffs suing the US government for failing to address the climate crisis.
Robin Loznak
United States —
This group of young plaintiffs claims the administration is failing to protect their right to a habitable planet. The US Government has filed a motion with the Supreme Court to halt the trial, which is set for 29 October.
John Sutter/CNN/File
Colombia —
Earlier this year 25 young activists in Colombia successfully sued their government, arguing that its failure to reduce deforestation in the Amazon threatened their constitutional rights to a healthy environment, life, food and water.
Cesar A.Rodríguez / Dejusticia
Colombia —
In April, Colombia's Supreme Court ordered the government to take action to address deforestation in the Amazon.
Cesar A.Rodríguez / Dejusticia
Norway —
In Norway, Greenpeace and Nature and Youth, pictured here, filed a lawsuit against the Norwegian government, saying that it violated the constitution by issuing licenses for deep-sea oil and gas drilling in the Arctic.
Anna Olerud/Natur og Ungdom
Norway —
However, the Oslo district court said the government's oil and gas plans were acceptable and dismissed the lawsuit in January this year. Greenpeace and Nature and Youth have since appealed the decision.
Pictured here: Members of Norway's Nature and Youth in front of the Oslo district court.
Natur og Ungdom
Washington D.C. —
In the US, 13 young plaintiffs are suing the State of Washington for violating their constitutional rights to life, liberty, property, and equal protection of the law by creating and supporting a fossil fuel-based transportation and energy systems.
Robin Loznak
Washington D.C. —
Young activist and high school sophomore Jamie Margolin, pictured here, is one of the plaintiffs in the Washington case.
Alexandra Blakely/350 Seattle
Zero Hour —
Teen activists Margolin and Nadia Nazar, both 16, co-founded climate justice group Zero Hour to demand greater action on climate change. The group organized a climate march in Washington DC and other cities on 21 July.
Talia Glick / Zero Hour
Zero Hour —
"We're not just marching and asking for a vague sense of justice, we have clear demands so our leaders have no excuse not to take action," Margolin tells CNN.
Zero Hour
Zero Hour —
Teen activist and Zero Hour organizer Kibiriti Majuto is a refugee living in Charlottesville, Virginia, originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
"I am marching representing many young people in the global south who are most impacted by climate change even though they did little to contribute to the destruction of our planet," Majuto tells CNN.
Erik Patton-Sharpe
Zero Hour —
Fellow Zero Hour organizer, Madelaine Tew of New Jersey, adds: "I believe that what we're doing is so crucial because it really is zero hour; we either take action now, or the future of our generation will be jeopardized by the fossil fuel industry and the dormant generations before us."
