Students around San Diego County on Friday walked out of their schools to take part in marches and rallies as part of the Global Climate Strike.
Thousands of students and faculty members at more than 20 middle and high schools and colleges participated in the strike to call for governments to take urgent action to combat climate change. Similar events were planned at Escondido City Hall, De Anza Cove in Mission Bay and at the downtown office of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California.
Several hundred students from San Diego High School marched from their campus in Balboa Park to the City Administration Building. Sophomore Nina Tipton, one of the organizers, said she hoped young people stay engaged and register to vote as soon as they can.
"We still haven't gotten the chance to put in our laws and our votes," she said. "So when we get to that point, we're prepared to do so."
RELATED: A Rising Generation Asserts Itself On Climate Change
Fellow sophomore and strike organizer Elea Castiglione said she is inspired by 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who led the global school strike movement and is scheduled to speak at the United Nations Global Climate Action Summit on Sept. 23.
"She's making sacrifices to show the world that the youth care about this planet, and we also have and deserve a voice in what we're going to do about climate change," Castiglione said. "Regardless of if we make change now or if we don't make change, we're going to reap the consequences of that."
The UN summit is expected to include some 2,500 events in more than 150 countries.
The strikes in San Diego County have received the blessing of the San Diego Unified School District and the Sweetwater Union High School District, which both approved supportive resolutions last week.
"We are excited to join students in this climate action rally," San Diego Unified Superintendent Cindy Marten said. "We also want to make sure our students are safe and do not leave our school sites for their safety and security."
