Davis Students Making Costumes, Planning Public Action For Climate Strike

DAVIS (CBS13) - Thousands of people are expected to take to the streets Friday in what is being called a climate strike.

From corporate employees to student-led marches, movements worldwide are designed to draw attention to the dangers of climate change.

Marching is already underway in Australia, but closer to home in Davis, students from 11 schools signed up to walk and were making final preparations on Thursday night.

"It is youth-led and basically it's our future at stake," said Marlen Garcia.

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Garcia is an incoming freshmen at UCD. She is organizing a climate strike in Davis.

"Realizing the climate crisis is becoming something major where we only have 10-11 years to solve this -- it can be a dead-end to everything -- your goals, our planet, the animals," said Garcia.

She and other organizers discussed last-minute logistics after weeks of making posters and costumes. Amber Crenna-Armstrong, a high school senior, said: "We are going to be doing a lot of chanting. We have a ton of really cool art and we have some students delivering some letters to city hall and school district offices."

The strike is designed to sound the alarm on the climate crisis ahead of the National Climate Summit on September 23. This came after 16-year-old Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg and other youth delivered a blunt message to Congress.

"I don't want you to listen to me; I want you to listen to the scientists and then I want you to take real action," said Thunberg.

She wants the world to take action before it's irreversible. After pressure from his own employee, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos pledged to drastically cut the environmental impact of his billion-dollar company. Still, more than 1,500 amazon employees will walk off their jobs to take part in the strike.  Hundreds of other businesses will also close their doors.

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Friday's event in Davis' Central Park will feature a die-in, student performances, and booths with info about how to help: Garcia hopes people will take their efforts to heart.

"You take it personal; it hurts you," said Garcia.

The Davis group will meet at the public library tomorrow morning at 11:30 a.m and march to the city offices to drop off a letter with their requests.