The King County Council voted on Wednesday, Sept. 18 to support a worldwide walkout of students urging immediate action on climate change.
Wednesday’s proclamation makes official King County’s support of the Global Climate Strike, planned for this Friday, Sept. 20. This will be a youth-led walkout set to take place across the globe to protest government and business inaction on the global climate crisis. It is expected to be one of the largest environmental protests in history.
It is unknown yet if local students will be participating.
The council also reminded King County employees that they can take a day of pre-approved unpaid leave to participate and encouraged those King County residents who could take time away from work to stand in support of the youth.
“We have 11 years to dramatically change our economies and systems to slow the pace of climate change or our world is set to be drastically different than what we see today, drastically different than what I’ve enjoyed in my lifetime,” said Councilmember Joe McDermott. “And those who are going to be most affected, young people still in grade school, are tired of hoping for change, they’re demanding it. We as adults had better listen.”
The last time we covered a walkout at Highline High School was when students protested gun violence on Wednesday, March 14, 2018:
