Across the globe, from Auckland to Rio de Janeiro, thousands of students will not come to school this Friday. Instead, they will march in hundreds of cities as part of the Youth Climate Strike. Participants argue that by refusing to attend school, they will force political leaders to pay attention. The US Youth Climate Strike’s platform calls for legislative action to combat climate change, including the Green New Deal. The movement also asserts that the climate crisis should be declared a national emergency. Isabella Johnson and Anya Sastry are the Illinois state leads for the US Youth Climate Strike and the main organizers of the Chicago strike. They join us to talk about youth activism and why action on climate change is important to their generation.