Oklahoma students plan to walk out of school demanding better policies on climate: ‘We have created system of prioritizing oil & gas over people’s lives’

https://kfor.com/2019/12/03/oklahoma-students-plan-to-walk-out-of-school-demanding-better-policies-on-climate-change/

BY LACEY LETT

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – “We will be walking out to protest for climate action,” Jade Tyra, Epic Senior student said.

These teens are joining a nationwide movement called U.S. Youth Climate Strike.

It’s a movement sparked by Swedish teen Greta Thunberg– and resonating with Oklahoma student Jade Tyra and her peers.

“This isn’t something individuals are doing wrong. This is how we have created the system of prioritizing oil and gas over people’s lives,” she said.

Students from both Norman High Schools, Irving Middle Schools, Classen SAS at Northeast and even Rose State College plan to participate in the strike.

They hope Oklahoma lawmakers will transition and profit from greener energy choices– as the state is with wind for example.

“We would like Oklahoma lawmakers and the Oklahoma economy shift from oil and gas centric to going green,” Tyra said.

“We need to start making the switch to green energy jobs from solar to wind and we can till be on the forefront and leading the charge on energy,” Casady Senior Doran Walters said.

In a 2019 Washington Post – Kaiser Family Foundation poll, 79% of respondents believe human activity is causing the climate to change while 19% do not.

U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe is a long-time skeptic of global warming.

“We keep hearing 2014 was the warmest year on record. I ask the chair do you know what this is? It’s a snowball and just from outside here so it’s very very cold out,” he said in 2015.

These young activists say Greta is right– it’s time to listen to the scientists.

“I don’t have anything to lose and I have a voice to use and I should use it,” Walter said.

This is the third strike for Oklahoma this year.

The students will walk out at 10 a.m. Friday.

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