I didn’t go to the climate change protest in Duluth on Sept. 20, 2019.

To be more precise, I wasn’t allowed to go. According to my parents, my last three classes of that day were, apparently, detrimental to my future scholarship possibilities.

I have always known about our warming planet. I read about it in “Earth” books in elementary school, as if it was just another controversy in current political events. 

However, it wasn’t until a few months ago that I began to grow increasingly frustrated at the lack of care from our government about our own planet. I felt angry that no real politicians with the power to actually change the laws and policies were doing anything to slow the pace of the changing climate. I felt angry that I couldn’t do much to help the cause by myself. But suddenly, on Friday morning of last week, I began to wonder if I could really make a difference in this battle.

We should be more careful with lights left on! Take shorter showers! Eat less meat, take public transit, use greener energy. And promise the same things that many second and third class people across the world have sworn to follow. It is important that we try to follow these environmentally-friendly procedures. It is true that for many people living in poverty, they may find some of these steps unrealistic for their day-to-day life.

To quote singer Utah Phillips, “The Earth is not dying, it is being killed, and those who are killing it have names and addresses.”

Just 100 companies are responsible for almost 70 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, according to decolonialatlas.wordpress.com. So why are we, the students and citizens, constantly asked to do these tasks to lessen our carbon footprint? 

Of course we should all do our part, but shouldn’t we also be doing something more, like a strike to draw attention to the cause and hold harmful companies accountable?

So what should we do? What does the word “strike” even mean?

Strikes occur when students, employees, or other people required by law band together and skip going to school or work in attempts to bring attention and awareness to an idea or issue. The worldwide #ClimateStrike on Sept. 20 rallied over 4 million people, mainly students, in more than 150 countries. News media and adults did notice the absent kids in school.

Many companies who profit off planet-damaging actions and many governments don’t want young people at these strikes. Our leaders deny scientific facts and studies and warn students not to skip for their planet. The truth is, many baby boomer leaders don’t care about the melting ice caps, rising sea levels, and temperatures because they will be dead before the effects really hit the Earth. 

We won’t be.

Scientists from the UN project said that we have 11 years left to change our use of fossil fuels to more sustainable renewable energy before it’s too late. By 2030 it will be too late.

To save this planet, and make it habitable for our own children and grandchildren in the near future, we all have to step out of our comfort zones now, before the discomfort of the entire planet becomes a life or death situation.

It will be down to only us children soon. Be on the right side of history and strike with me against climate change next year.