Giving Compass' Take:

• The Surfrider Foundation is celebrating the wave of young climate change activists and their electric energy circulating around the globe.

• How can you help improve how your local community responds to climate change? How can we continue to inspire our youth to fight climate change? 

Here's America's youth keeping up momentum on activism. 


We celebrate Greta Thunberg who sailed across the Atlantic Ocean in order to attend the upcoming United Nations Climate Summit (because travel by boat is less polluting). We marvel at the fact that such a wonderful, young lady has motivated and sustained a global effort to raise awareness about climate change (BTW-- despite only being 17--she has probably achieved more positive climate-karma than most adults trying to ‘curb their carbon footprint’).

It is ironic and eye-opening that the ‘kids these days’ are asking (practically begging) the world to wake up and acknowledge our local communities are already experiencing climate change impacts.  Our kids know that extreme events such as massive hurricanes, fires, abnormal-precipitation, melting ice sheets, sea level rise, coastal erosion, infrastructure damage, prolonged heat waves, etc. are all linked to climate change.  And while it is slightly sad these kids are inadvertently being forced into a leadership role, it is also inspiring to see how they are working to solve the climate crisis that adults have long-ignored.

For the past few years, Surfrider has been increasing our climate work because the ocean and coasts are literally at the center of climate change. The ocean has absorbed 90% of the heat trapped in our atmosphere produced by greenhouse gases. And the ocean has absorbed nearly 30% of the carbon emitted—resulting in ocean acidification.  Through our day to day work, Surfrider is watching our ocean and coasts bear the brunt of climate change impacts.

Read the full article about teenagers fighting climate change by Stefanie Sekich-Quinn at Surfrider Foundation.