From September 20th through September 27th a series of Climate Strikes occurred. Considering how we close we are to places such as Waukegan and Chicago, where a climate strike had occurred, it is something widely heard about around us. One of the organizers of the Waukegan rally was senior Eduardo Flores. The actual organization of the rally wasn’t difficult. He had posted the idea on social media. The idea to participate in this Climate Strike at Waukegan received quite positive feedback.
“I was kind of hesitant to do it at first but after I heard that people would be willing to help me out and actually walk out with me I got even more motivated,” explained Flores.
In order for this event to occur Eduardo decided to get the school on board with his plans regarding security management.
Eduardo did this in order to insure students “weren’t creating a bigger disruption than necessary.”
Trying to gain support from a higher authority, a video of the climate strike was shared with Governor J.B. Pritzker who has yet to respond and or support. Even if he hasn’t directly supported Waukegan overall, Pritzker still supports the climate strike worldwide.
“We know that climate change is real. We know there is a threat, and I think there’s just no disputing it anymore. And we know we must act.”
The 2019 Climate Strike was the largest in history with an estimated 4 million people. With so many people all around the world, it leads one to think about what’s so bad about climate change. There are only 11 years until climate change is irreversible. It causes diseases such as asthma, in which the rate has increased by 50% from the years 2001-2009.

“Climate change can, therefore, affect human health in two main ways: first, by changing the severity or frequency of health problems that are already affected by climate or weather factors; and second, by creating unprecedented or unanticipated health problems or health threats in places where they have not previously occurred.” Read in globalchange.gov.
Even if it is not a deadly matter for our generation it will become that for generations to come. Your future family, your kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, everyone in your future might not have a long one.
“We have a single mission to protect and hand on the planet to the next generation,” François Hollande President of French Republic.
Nothing positive is gained out of climate change. It ventures the security of water an already limited supply.
So far our average temperature has risen 1.62 percent in Fahrenheit according to NASA. 2016 has been the warmest year on record. Oceans have absorbed this heat and have risen 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit since 1969. Due to this decrease in temperature between the years 1993 through 2016, Greenland has lost 127 billion pounds of ice. The rate of ice loss in Antarctica has tripled over the past decade. If something doesn’t change in our society we soon won’t have the option to make a difference.

“We must now agree on a binding review mechanism under international law so that this century can credibly be called a century of decarbonization,” Angela Merkel Chancellor of Germany
The acidity of the ocean surface has increased by around 30 percent, and has been confirmed by NASA as well. Along with that fact, the upper layer of the ocean absorbs 2 billion tons of carbon dioxide annually. America has won wars and abolished slavery however we can’t end climate change. We as people have chosen the convenience of wasting plastic to save money over having a clean planet.
“We are the first generation to be able to end poverty and the last generation that can take steps to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Future generations will judge us harshly if we fail to uphold our moral and historical responsibilities. Ban Ki-moon Secretary-General United Nations.
We are around twenty miles away from the Waukegan power plant. Power Plants use 20 metric tons of used fossil fuels annually. Waukegan High School is just less than four miles away from this power plant.
“Fifty-Five percent of the air and water toxins in Lake County come from the coal plant just four miles from where we are standing here today,” said Eduardo Flores.
We as people no longer have sustainable resources to last us much longer if we continue to use them carelessly. People look at our world as if we have more planets we can destroy.
“The time is past when humankind thought it could selfishly draw on exhaustible resources. We know now the World is not a commodity.” François Hollande President of French Republic.