Youth Climate Change Activism

In O’Brien’s piece “Exploring Youth Activism on Climate Change: Dutiful, Disruptive, and Dangerous dissent” one of the ways he says that youth can be active in the discussion on climate change is through dutiful dissent. O’Brien defines this as something, “…often expressed through ‘joining’ activities that support existing and emerging institutions…”(O’Brien 4). This type of dissent is important to how we look at climate activists today. One of these people who have this type of dissent defines well is Greta Thunberg. In her shared message about climate activism “Why we Strike Again” she writes, “Young people like us bear the brunt of our leader’s failures. Research shows that pollution from burning fossil fuels is the world’s most significant threat to children’s health” (Thunberg 2). She also later goes on to say that she is working with the UN with world leaders (2). Greta working for young people in the UN by working with world leaders is important because it develops the idea of what she really wants from it. It is also important because it goes along the guidelines of what O’Brien defined in his piece as dutiful dissent because she is speaking with world leaders in an already existing organization.