Almost 8,000 people turned out for the Worldwide Climate Strike in Denver last Friday to raise awareness about global warming and climate change in light of the upcoming United Nations Climate Action Summit and nationwide political elections. On a sweaty and viciously hot day in Denver, the weather proved to be a fitting backdrop for the circumstances that brought Coloradans together to march down 16th Street Mall from Union Station to the Colorado State Capitol building.  

Denver’s march was part of a worldwide event catalyzed by Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old climate activist from Sweden. Through her ever-growing media presence, she rallied the world to walk out on school and work on Friday in order to call legislative and general public attention to the global warming crisis. The marches ran the strongest in New York City, London, Berlin and Melbourne with numbers in the 10,000s and 100,000s. 

“I think we’re just trying to make a change, make the government listen to us and get everyone on track to help the earth,” said a participant who did not work on Friday in support of the movement. “I’m actually here with The North Face, so the whole company came out here to speak up.”

The protest also showcased a strong representation of Denver youth as thousands of young people sporting brightly colored signs took to the streets. “I’m 12, and I guess [today is important] because the adults aren’t doing anything,” said a young female student who walked out of school with two of her friends to participate in the rally. “They’ll be dead by the time it’s our adulthood.”

After the march, crowds huddled around a microphone on the steps of the capitol building for the closing rally. Representatives of the Native American community in Denver sat on the capitol steps performing a continuous smudging ceremony, a tradition of Native American and indigenous culture in which sacred herbs are burned for cleansing purposes. The Native American presence at the march was especially important due to the community’s historic, devoted protection of the earth and its natural resources.

Eight-year-old climate activist Mahdvi Chittoor spoke to the crowds regarding her passion of banning single-use plastics and glyphosate chemicals, both of which harm the environment. One teen musician also sang a satirical rendition of “This Land is Your Land,” featuring the punch line, “Oh this land is used for corporate greed.” 

Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke was also in attendance at the Denver march as well as Colorado Senate candidates Andrew Romanoff, Trish Zornio, Alice Madden and Lorena Garcia. These candidates looking to take Republican Cory Gardner’s seat in the 2020 Senate election all signed a petition at the rally stating: “I pledge to not take contributions over $200 from oil, gas and coal industry executives, lobbyists or PACs and instead prioritize the health of our families, climate and democracy over fossil fuel industry profits.” 

Since America’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement in 2017, the pressure from the public for harsher U.S. legislation combatting climate change is especially prevalent. In Colorado specifically, legislation is moving to curb pollution as Governor Jared Polis signed a law in May that looks to reduce climate pollution by “at least 26 percent by 2025” and “at least 50 percent by 2030” in the state. 

“We have to stop climate change by stopping any oil and gas and fossil fuel industries, and we just have to be carbon neutral,” said a 9-year-old participant marching through the streets of Denver on Friday. “We have to stop climate change because the science proves that we have very little time left and if we don’t stop climate change now, then we won’t be able to live on this earth and the world will be pretty much extinct.”

If Denver echoed any message to the public on Friday, it was from the voices of kids like this, and the chanted consensus of  “Hey hey, ho ho, fossil fuels have got to go.”