Swedish teen climate activist rallies crowd in South Dakota
Greta Thunberg looks on during the Climate Change Rally and March Monday, Oct. 7, 2019 in Rapid City, S.D. | Adam Fondren/Rapid City Journal via AP

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — A 16-year-old environmental activist from Sweden urged politicians Monday at a South Dakota appearance to listen to indigenous people on climate change.

Greta Thunberg spoke at a rally in Rapid City that attracted hundreds of people. She spoke out against the proposed path of the Keystone XL pipeline through South Dakota, which she said is “not morally defensible.”

“Indigenous peoples have been leading this fight for centuries,” Thunberg said. “They have taken care of the planet and they have lived in balance with nature and we need to make sure that they’re voices are being heard. We need to listen to them because they have knowledge that is valuable right now.”

Also speaking was Tokata Iron Eyes, a 16-year-old from Pine Ridge who planned the rally and invited Thunberg to speak at the Pine Ridge and Standing Rock reservations.

“We are marching for our lives, we are marching for climate justice and we are marching for indigenous rights at the same time — because those two things go hand in hand,” Iron Eyes said. “There’s no one without the other. Indigenous people need to be in the forefront of the climate movement because we are the frontline communities who are suffering the most from this crisis and Greta knows that.”

Thunberg plans to appear Tuesday on the North Dakota side of the Standing Rock Reservation.

A police spokesman tells the Rapid City Journal that up to 400 people attended the rally.

Thunberg traveled to the United States in August on a sailboat to promote her climate change campaign. She garnered international attention when she scolde d world leaders at the United Nations.

___

Information from: Rapid City Journal, http://www.rapidcityjournal.com

Like free stuff? So do we. Here at People’s World, we believe strongly in the mission of keeping the labor and democratic movements informed so they are prepared for the struggle. But we need your help. While our content is free for readers (something we are proud of) it takes money — a lot of it — to produce and cover the stories you see in our pages. Only you, our readers and supporters, can keep us going. Only you can make sure we keep the news that matters free of paywalls and advertisements. If you enjoy reading People’s World and the stories we bring you, support our work by becoming a $5 monthly sustainer today.


CONTRIBUTOR

Associated Press
Associated Press

The Associated Press (AP) is a U.S. multinational nonprofit news agency that operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. Most of the AP staff are union members and are represented by the Newspaper Guild, under the Communications Workers of America, under the AFL–CIO. The Associated Press (AP) es una agencia de noticias multinacional estadounidense sin fines de lucro que opera como una asociación cooperativa no incorporada. La mayor parte del personal de AP son miembros del sindicato y están representados por el Newspaper Guild, en el marco de Communications Workers of America, en el AFL-CIO.

Comments

comments