【Ask Me What You Want (2024)】

As a throng of climate strikers crowded New York City's Battery Park on Ask Me What You Want (2024)Friday, Greta Thunberg lamented the empty promises of politicians who are ensuring a world in which the youth suffer due to their inaction.

"No matter where you are, that burden, they leave to us teenagers, us children," the 16-year-old Swedish climate change activist said before more than 300,000 people.

Elementary to college-age students skipped school to attend the historic event, holding signs criticizing politicians with barbs like, "If you did your job we'd be in class right now." The crowd, congesting Foley Square, had marched about 20 minutes from the park to hear several speakers, including Thunberg, whose become a leader for youth climate change activists. Several people needed medical attention during the event, with Thunberg stopping her speech twice to direct medics to help those in need as the blaring sun beat down on the crowd.

---

You May Also Like

---

---

A year ago, Thunberg skipped school and protested alone outside Swedish parliament. On Friday, roughly 4 million people joined her across the globe in climate strikes from Australia to London to Dublin to Berlin. At the New York march, demonstrators shouted "I love you Greta" and chanted her name.

"The eyes of the world will be on them."

The strike is one of two global climate change demonstrations planned this month, with the other set to take place onSept. 27.

Thunberg is in America to speak at the U.N. Climate Action Summit on Monday. She urged world leaders attending the summit to use scientific evidence to back their choices.

"The eyes of the world will be on them. They have a chance to prove that they too are united behind the science," she said.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

Jonathan Sterling, 52, took that chance on Friday. After arguing with his 17-year-old son who did not want to attend the strike, he decided to go anyhow. After all, he thought, his own generation is somewhat to blame for the climate crisis other youth like Thunberg are trying to solve.

"It's kind of partly my fault we're in this situation. So I'll go, he doesn't have to go. I'll go instead," Sterling said.

The youth of today will be hit hard by the ever-growing consequences of climate change. Activists are imploring politicians across the globe to set policies that will help limit Earth's warming.

Earlier this week, Thunberg testified for a congressional hearing on the global youth climate movement, saying "I don't want you to listen to me. I want you to listen to the scientists."

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

She arrived in New York from Britain on a zero-emissions boat on Aug. 28 after a rough two-week journey at sea after refusing to fly such a distance in a greenhouse gas-spewing plane.

"In fact, everywhere I've been the situation is more or less the same," Thunberg said. "The people in power, their beautiful words are the same. The number of politicians and celebrities who want to take selfies with us are the same. The empty promises are the same. The lies are the same and the inaction is the same."

"Nowhere have I found anyone in power who dares to tell it like it is."

Topics Social Good

• Digital Culture
• Life
• Science
• Social Good
• Games
• Shopping
• Deals
• Entertainment

• Best headphones deal: Save up to 51% on Beats at Amazon
• PS5 slim: Sony's new console comes with attachable disk drive and a price increase
• Say “I Love You” With Our Special Valentine’s Day Box Set
• Future iPad models may get one of iPhone’s best features — here’s how we know
• Best Hydro Flask deal: Save $10 on a 24
• Queen Bitch: Alex Abramovich on David Bowie
• C. D. Wright, 1949–2016; Read Her Poem “Our Dust”
• Mondays Have Always Been Blue—Even Before the Pseudoscience
• Dyson V8 Plus cordless vacuum: $120 off at Amazon
• Isak Dinesen’s Art Is as Good as Her Writing

• The best AirPods deals ahead of October Prime Day
• The best early October Prime Day drone deals
• Michigan vs. UW football live streams: kickoff time, streaming deals, and more
• Clemson vs. Florida State football livestreams: kickoff time, streaming deals, and more
• Best Prime Day fitness tracker deals: Garmin, Apple Watch, and more
• What's in the rug? TikTok's latest true crime mystery has been solved.
• Early Prime Day deals on noise
• Best free ChatGPT courses
• Adult creators launch campaign against Project 2025
• Ravens vs. Bengals 2024 livestream: How to watch NFL for free

• Your 'wrong person' texts may be linked to Myanmar warlord
• Pimped for a Part: The Story of My Mother’s Matchmaking
• I’m a Windows stan, but I just switched to a MacBook – 3 reasons I’m never going back
• NYT's The Mini crossword answers for October 10
• Today's Hurdle hints and answers for May 5, 2025
• Best cordless vacuum deal: Get the Dyson V11 Extra for $404.99
• Isak Dinesen’s Art Is as Good as Her Writing
• John O’Hara’s “Pal Joey” at 75: Still an Exemplary Novella
• The fat bears are already extremely fat
• Staff Picks: Continentals, Cocoons, Comics by The Paris Review

• Hidden Siri Commands and Unusual Responses
• Poem: Molly Peacock, “The Distance Up Close”
• Staff Picks: Continentals, Cocoons, Comics by The Paris Review
• Too Clever: Oscar Wilde the Plagiarist
• Today's Hurdle hints and answers for May 9, 2025
• Remember the Oddity That Was “Closed on Account of Rabies”?
• WTF? Can we talk about HP's wacky new foldable laptop for a sec?
• Janet Fish: Glass & Plastic
• Google Pixel Buds Pro 2: $40 off at Amazon
• El Chapo Given “Don Quixote” to Cheer Him Up in Prison