Youth invited to help tackle climate change at Idaho Falls rally - East Idaho News
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Youth invited to help tackle climate change at Idaho Falls rally

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IDAHO FALLS — Inspired by 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, local youth will rally to support climate action in Idaho Falls on Wednesday.

The Don’t Look Away Rally to Support Climate Action will be held at the Broadway Bridge between 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. The rally is being organized by Idaho Falls Supports Youth Climate Action and Sunrise Movement South East Idaho.

“We, Idaho Falls Supports Youth Climate Action and Sunrise Movement South East Idaho, are concerned about the future of all of life but especially for the impact the global climate crisis is going to have on the wellbeing of the younger generations; my grandchildren and all future generations,” Rev. Lyn Stangland Cameron said in an emailed statement.

Stangland Cameron is a retired Unitarian Universalist minister.

She said local youth, adults, and their families are invited to participate in the rally.

“We want to show the leaders of this community that the climate crisis matters here too,” she said.

On Friday, young people gathered at the Idaho State Capitol and at the Pocatello City Hall to participate in climate-related rallies championed by the Thunberg. The rallies coincided with similar rallies across the country and around the globe.

An estimated 60,000 people gathered in New York City on Friday as part of the protests, while 100,000 rallied in both Melbourne, Australia, and Berlin, Germany, according to the The New York Times.

At Boise’s rally, hundreds lined the stairs of the Capitol. They held signs that read, “Stop denying, the earth is dying,” and, “We are skipping our lessons to teach you one,” according to the Idaho Statesman.

On Monday, Thunberg delivered a speech on climate change at the United Nations.

According to the Sunrise Movement’s website, the organization’s goal is to stop climate change by “building an army of young people,” to urge lawmakers to make climate change a priority.
The Sunrise Movement is a proponent of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal, according to its website.

Idaho Falls resident Sean Craft said he started the east Idaho Sunrise Movement hub because he is concerned about his child’s future.

“We are tired of our leaders not acting when faced with such damning evidence,” Craft said.

Wednesday’s rally will feature Dr. David Adler and other speakers who will talk about climate change and reducing fossil fuels in the United States.

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