Where Did All the Youth Climate Activists Go?

"In March 2019, when more than one million people assembled in streets across the world to call for climate action, school children led the charge. With Greta Thunberg as the face of the grassroots climate movement, they demanded a transition from fossil fuels and immediate action from their governments. Climate activism groups like Extinction Rebellion, Sunrise Movement, and Zero Hour were in their heyday. Hope was in the air."

"Over the next few years, the U.S. climate movement's power waxed and waned. When the Biden administration signed off on the Inflation Reduction Act, marketed as the largest climate legislation in the country's history, it certainly felt like a step in the right direction. Yet at the same time, it wasn't nearly enough: it compromised with the fossil fuel industry and appealed to red states. By 2023, the high school climate activists of 2019 had also grown up."

Mass youth climate mobilizations peaked in March 2019 under Greta Thunberg's leadership, demanding a transition from fossil fuels and immediate government action. Planned April 2020 escalations coinciding with Earth Day were halted by the pandemic. Movement influence fluctuated in subsequent years, and the Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act represented a notable legislative step while containing compromises with the fossil fuel industry and outreach to red states. By 2023 many 2019 high school activists experienced burnout, shifted to campus organizing, or refocused after geopolitical events. In September 2025 thousands rallied on Park Avenue for the Make Billionaires Pay march ahead of Climate Week.

Read at The Nation