海角大神

Jamie Margolin had not expected to be sitting in her bedroom right now.

The high school senior had prom and graduation coming up, and so much more: A multi-state bus campaign with fellow climate activists. A tour for her new book. Attendance at one of the massive marches that had been planned this week for the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.

Then the pandemic arrived in Seattle, her hometown, and her plans went out the window.

鈥淏ut still so much to do,鈥� Ms. Margolin said, perched in front of her computer for a video interview from that bedroom.

Like many other young activists who鈥檝e helped galvanize what鈥檚 become a global climate movement, Ms.聽Margolin is not letting a spreading virus stop her. They are organizing in place, from the United States to Ecuador, Uganda, India, and beyond.

And while some fear they鈥檝e lost some momentum in the pandemic, they are determined to keep pushing 鈥� and for now, to use technology to their advantage.

Unable to gather en masse as they鈥檇 planned this Earth Day, these activists are planning livestreams and webinars to keep the issue of climate front and center on the world stage and in the U.S. presidential race.

One event,聽Earth Day聽Live, is being organized by a coalition of youth-led climate groups, including Zero Hour, of which Ms.聽Margolin is a leader (her Twitter profile includes the tag #futurepotus). As is the case with many other young climate activists, she got involved in the movement taking aim at the fossil fuel industry well before Sweden鈥檚 Greta Thunberg became a global household name.

Online organizing is not as easy in some countries. In Uganda, activist Mulindwa Moses says only about a third of the population has Wi-Fi. Also under lockdown, the graduate student is waiting for his chance to return to planting trees and speaking to his nation鈥檚 youth in person.

Like the original founders of Earth Day, he is among those who were first inspired by local issues 鈥� which they came to connect with global climate change.

While traveling in eastern Uganda, Mr. Moses met with families who had lost their homes in mudslides caused by torrential rainfall.

鈥淚 remember a girl I had a conversation with 鈥� she lost her parents and had to take care of her siblings. She was suffering so much,鈥� he said.

So, last year, he began a campaign to encourage citizens to plant 鈥渢wo trees a week鈥� and regrow their forests to combat deforestation and mudslides exacerbated by changing weather patterns.

In Ecuador, Helena Gualinga also has had to pause her world travels.

Born in Ecuador鈥檚 indigenous Kichwa-speaking Sarayaku community 鈥� home to about 1,200 people in the Amazon 鈥� the teenager says she learned from the example of her parents and her elders how to speak up for the rights of her people. Their fight has been against a government that they believe has given their land too freely to mining and oil companies.

鈥淭he energy I remember from my elders growing up鈥� 鈥� at community meetings she attended with her parents when she was small 鈥� 鈥渨as that my community was always very worried,鈥� she said.

Now, she added, 鈥淚 know I have a voice.鈥�

Mr. Moses plans to run for his country鈥檚 parliament next year. 鈥淚 want to fight to change the system from the inside,鈥� he said.

So does Max Prestigiacomo, a freshman at the University of Wisconsin, who is set to take his seat on the city council of Madison, Wisconsin. While fighting the coronavirus has used up much of local government鈥檚 bandwidth, he still plans this fall to push the platform on which he ran 鈥� for his city to become fully sustainable by 2030. It is a lofty and some would say unattainable goal, but he is looking for 鈥渢he impossible yes.鈥�

鈥淥bviously, I wanted the alarm sounded decades ago before I was even born,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 too late for incremental change.鈥�

Tia Nelson, daughter of the late Sen. Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, founder of Earth Day, said her father would appreciate the determination of this generation, as he did the young people who made the first Earth Day in 1970 a great success.

Though the senator went to Washington in 1963, and won support from President Kennedy, his daughter said it took several years to find backing for many of his environmental causes. He came up with the idea of Earth Day, first envisioned as a nationwide 鈥渢each-in,鈥� after reading a magazine article about college students鈥� impact on U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

Later that same year, the Environmental Protection Agency was born.

鈥淭he climate youth movement today is having a significant and important impact in doing exactly what my father had hoped on the first Earth Day 鈥� that he would get a public demonstration sufficiently robust to shake the political establishment out of their lethargy,鈥� Ms. Nelson said. 鈥淭he youth movement 50 years ago did that. The youth movement today around climate change is doing the same thing.鈥�

Ms. Nelson, who is climate director at the Wisconsin-based聽Outrider Foundation, said she鈥檚 particularly excited at聽polls聽showing that many young Republicans care just as much about climate change as Democrats.

Peter Nicholson, who helps lead聽Foresight Prep, a summer environmental justice program at Chicago鈥檚 Loyola University, said the coronavirus crisis only highlights the message that 鈥渨e are all connected.鈥�

鈥淐limate change is no less real,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he feedback loop is just much longer.鈥�

So for now, Ms. Margolin and her peers will use their devices to help foster those connections 鈥� something their predecessors could not do remotely.

鈥淓veryone is online anyway,鈥� she said. 鈥淢aybe they start on Earth Day. But then with online resources, you click one link that leads you to another, leads to another that leads you to contact info."

鈥淎nd then you just start getting involved.鈥�

This story was reported by The Associated Press.

Editor鈥檚 note: As a public service, the Monitor has removed the paywall for all our coronavirus coverage. It鈥檚 free.