Miami-Dade students demand climate action as part of Global Youth Climate Strike

Students from across Miami-Dade County rallied Friday outside Miami Beach City Hall to demand that elected officials confront the threat of climate change.

They cut class and came together in solidarity as part of the Global Youth Climate Strike, a series of protests across the world on Sept. 20, just days before the United Nations Climate Action Summit. Other local strikes took place in Broward County and the Florida Keys.

“For too long children have acted like leaders and leaders have acted like children,” said John Paul Mejia, 17, a senior at Miami Beach High School and an organizer of the local strike.

Miami Beach has been called the “ground zero” of climate change due to projections of significant sea level rise in the coming decades.

“We are in one of the front line communities facing the climate crisis, and it is time we speak up for our residents that are being hurt,” Mejia said. “It is important that the youth lead this movement because our generation is at stake.”

Students are calling for elected officials to declare a climate emergency to allow legislation to respond to climate change, he said. They also wanted a transition to 100 percent renewable energy to decrease carbon emissions.

Last year, the United Nations released an alarming report warning that unless carbon emission rates were cut drastically by 2030, the world would begin to experience severe and irreversible environmental consequences.

Signs held by students reflected the urgency: “Later is too late, act now!” and “No more coal, no more oil, keep our carbon in the soil.”

“Miami Beach is under attack, what do we do?” Mejia called out to the crowd.

“Stand up, fight back,” they shouted back in unison.

Students also urged that climate justice is about social justice. The communities most affected by climate change are low-income black, brown and indigenous communities who have done the least to contribute to the cause of the crisis, Mejia said.

Underdeveloped countries have not predominantly released carbon emissions into the atmosphere but they will be the first to be affected by mass droughts and extreme weather events, he added.

The mayor of Miami Beach, Dan Gelber, personally thanked the assembled students for leaving school to come to the event.

No great social movements happened without young people taking a stand, he said. There are almost two million people between ages 15 and 24 in Florida, he told them.

“That means if they decide the vote, everybody will have to listen because they will be scared of you. Very scared,” Gelber said. “If you want to change your state, your nation, and your world, register to vote.”

Young people can sign up to vote at RegisterToVoteFlorida.gov, he said. Those who are 16 and 17 can preregister there.

“Our generation of young voters is a sleeping giant,” said Miami Country Day student Andrew Weaver, 16. “One that has been awakened by the indifference of many political leaders in Washington and the urgency of the climate crisis.

“Our numbers as voters can save this city if we choose to vote like our lives depend on it,” Weaver added.

Elected officials need to step up and take meaningful climate action, state Rep. Michael Grieco of Miami Beach told the crowd of students.

“Mother Nature is not a Democrat or a Republican,” he said.

Lawmakers need to take greater action to lower carbon emissions, Grieco said.

“I do not believe that the majority of elected officials are taking seriously what these kids are talking about,” he told the Herald. “I have a 10-year-old who cries himself to sleep because he is scared and I am scared for him.”

Despite the fear and anxiety that students expressed about the climate crisis, some young activists say they have faced antagonism from school administrators. One student from South Broward High School received a suspension and was told he was barred from attending prom for distributing fliers about the student strike that allegedly violated school policies.

Unlike New York City and other school districts across the country, neither Miami-Dade County nor Broward County allowed students to receive excused absences for attending the strike.

Many students skipped class regardless of administrative approval.

Marisabel Quiros, 11, said that her classes at Nautilus Middle School have talked a lot about climate change and she wanted to speak out.

“We decided to miss out on school to come,” she said. “Our schools are not [excusing the absence] because they don’t think it is that important. But there is no plan B.”

“It’s not fair to me and this generation,” her friend Noa Goller, 11, added. “It’s not fair for any of us.”