Youth Sit-in for Real Climate Treaty Ends With Global Call to Action

As youth, we'd love the wide circulation of this article to raise our voice from inside out! Thanks!

COPENHAGEN, Denmark – As the high-level segment of the Copenhagen climate talks began last night, a group of thirty young people from fourteen countries staged a sit-in in the heart of the conference center.

“The world needs a fair, ambitious, and legally-binding deal that will avoid dangerous climate change,” said Laura Comer, age 21, of Strongsville, Ohio, USA. “We decided it would be irresponsible for us to leave the conference center until we had a deal that would ensure the safety and survival of all people worldwide.”

Sitting in the hall for more than nine hours, the youth read the names of over 11 million global citizens who signed a petition calling for a fair, ambitious, and legally-binding deal. The action received unprecedented support from inside and outside the UN climate summit, with a positive endorsement from political officials, and thousands of supporters following the action via a live webcast and social media. At about 2:00 AM, after receiving an ultimatum from UN officials, the youth chose to end their sit-in.

“The world has spoken and we felt compelled to deliver that message in Copenhagen on their behalf. But we were told that if we didn’t leave the center, civil society would be excluded from the negotiations for the remainder of the talks,” said Sanka Chandima Abayawardena, age 25, from Divulapitiya, Sri Lanka. “Without any participation from grassroots civil society in the negotiations, we felt it would be impossible to secure the sort of deal that my country and the world so desperately needs.”

The youth from yesterday’s sit-in are now mobilizing a global call for all people around the world, particularly young people, to organize similar actions of non-violent civil disobedience targeting obstructive governments, destructive industries, and fossil fuel financiers.

“The global support for our sit-in is undeniable evidence that the world is calling for change. We must actively pressure our governments for a just, ambitious, and binding deal that listens to science and is led by the voices of those most directly impacted by the climate crisis,” adds Janice Grey, age 20, from Nunavik, Canada, “We can no longer allow our governments to wait, stall, or block progress. Now is the time to take our future back!”