SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Hundreds of Utah students have gathered at the state capitol urging state leaders to take action on climate change.
The Salt Lake Tribune reports that many in the group of about 400 people skipped school Friday to attend, some carrying tongue-in-cheek signs like “I want a hot boyfriend, not a hot planet” and “Keep the earth clean. This isn’t Uranus.”
Their message, though, was serious: That young people will be most impacted by the future effects of global warming, so they care about steps like stopping fossil-fuel projects and creating more recycling options.
They also highlighted local concerns like air quality and drying lakes.
Coordinated ‘school strikes’ were held around the world Friday, inspired by 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who began holding solitary demonstrations outside the Swedish parliament last year.
