Penticton area residents marched from Penticton Library to Gyro Park on Friday (Sept. 24), demanding politicians to take forceful action on climate change.
The rally was organized by local youth activists in the Penticton area. More than 50 people of all ages participated in the march, many holding signs and banners while chanting demands for more action from Canadian politicians. Organizers announced that youth will be inviting community members for monthly rallies to be held the last Friday of each month and to watch for media alerts.
“This is the fight for our future and the future of generations to come,” said high school student Rosemary Tumbach.
South Okanagan-West Kootenay MP-elect Richard Cannings responded to the rally’s demands. According to a press release by rally organizer Merle Kindred, Cannings said that one of his key objectives is to “get climate change to the top of the legislative agenda.”
Participants also urged residents and politicians to accept climate change as fact.
“We are calling on every parent, every adult, every elected person at every level to sweep away apathy and false narratives by accepting the truth presented by scientists around the world that our biosphere is collapsing. Today, let’s honour our children and commit to leave them a better world,” said First Things First Okanagan chair Jim Beattie. First Things First Okanagan is a non-profit society aiming to educate Okanagan communities on global warming and sustainability.
The rally was part of the Fridays for the Future movement, an international youth-led climate initiative founded by climate activist Greta Thunberg in 2018. The organization aims to put more pressure on policymakers to take forceful action on climate change.
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