High school student Lily Shen gives a climate change speech at the Indiana State Capitol on Friday, March 19, 2021. Staff photo by Clark Wade
INDIANAPOLIS – Against the backdrop of the Indiana Statehouse and the NCAA men's basketball tournament, students and climate activists from across the state gathered in Indianapolis Friday afternoon to declare a climate emergency and ask elected officials to take action.
The rally, organized by the Confront the Climate Crisis campaign, featured chants and student speeches on why bringing attention and fighting for climate justice was important to them.
The campaign was launched with help by organizers of West Lafayette Climate Strikes, a student-led team who have led multiple strikes and calls for action, including a school walk-out in 2019 and a virtual strike in 2020.
The West Lafayette group has already received feedback from local leaders. In response to the strikers in 2019, West Lafayette Mayor John Dennis promised that the city would plan to reduce its carbon emissions by 20% every four years.
In total, the Confront the Climate Crisis campaign consists of student-led organizations and individuals from around Indiana, including in West Lafayette, Indianapolis, Hammond, Carmel and Kokomo.
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