Statehouse News Bureau

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Ohio Students Skip Class To Call For Action Against Climate Change

By Andy Chow

Published September 20, 2019 at 6:53 PM EDT

Many students gather at the steps of the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus to call for action against climate change. [Andy Chow] — Many students gather at the steps of the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus to call for action against climate change.

Hundreds of students skipped class to rally at the Ohio Statehouse for action against climate change as part of the worldwide Climate Strike protest.

The massive crowd is calling for policies that reduce carbon pollution and support green energy while also cutting down on waste. They say leaders in Ohio and Washington, D.C. must listen to what they say are dire concerns about the future of the planet.

Harshita Ray was among the hundreds of students who walked out of class, she skipped her AP Biology lesson at Olentangy Liberty High School to speak out for action against climate change.

"I'd rather go protest about the earth and how something's going wrong than sit in my classroom and act like nothing's happening cause something's happening and I should be able to step out and acknowledge it and speak about it and have my own voice," Ray says.

Speakers called for a referendum on HB6 because it rolls back renewable energy standards and eliminates energy efficiency mandates. They also advocated for Congress to approve a bill that would attach a fee on carbon generation.