SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Children and adults wait for the arrival of teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg into New York City after crossing the Atlantic in a sailboat on on August 28, 2019 in New York City. (Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Calling for End of "War Against Nature," Greta Thunberg's Arrival in US Brings Swell of Attention to Global Climate Strike
"Something that's really common among young people is we just aren't given that platform. Now, Greta and millions of other kids are showing that we don't need it handed to us. We can fight for the platform."
Aug 29, 2019
After two weeks of sailing, 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg arrived in New York on Wednesday with an urgent call to action.
"The climate and ecological crisis is a global crisis, and the biggest crisis humanity has ever faced. And if we don't manage to work together to cooperate... despite our differences, then we will fail. So we need to stand together," Thunberg told a crowd of supporters who gathered to celebrate her arrival. "Let's not wait any longer. Let's do it now."
Thunberg's lonely protest outside the Swedish parliament building last August, and her persistent activism in the months since, sparked a wave of youth-led climate demonstrations across the world and inspired the global climate strikes set to kick off in over a 150 countries next month.
Organizers expect the strikes, scheduled to begin Sept. 20, to be the largest climate demonstration since the "Fridays for Future" movement launched--and maybe ever.
"Sea levels are rising, and so are we!" activists chanted as the emissions-free boat that carried Thunberg across the Atlantic approached New York.
Thunberg's journey by boat, which stemmed from her refusal to fly due to the carbon emissions spouted by planes, garnered significant coverage from America's major television networks, bringing more attention to the forthcoming week of global climate action.
Upon reaching shore, Thunberg said it is "insane that a 16-year-old has to cross the Atlantic Ocean to make a stand." But in doing so, the Swedish environmentalist galvanized young people who are eager to take to the streets and force political leaders to act on the existential threat posed by the climate crisis.
"Something that's really common among young people is a lot of time we just aren't given that platform," Shiv, a college sophomore, told Earther. "Now, Greta and millions of other kids are showing that we don't need it handed to us. We can fight for the platform that we deserve and that our voices need to be heard."
"On the 20th, we have three main demands as part of our coalition, which is no more fossil fuels, a just transition for frontline communities and for everybody in general, as well as holding fossil fuel executives accountable," said Shiv. "I think a really big contribution [Thunberg] had is really making young people realize that we do have power, that we have the ability to change the conversation."
\u201c"Our war on nature must end," said young climate activist Greta Thunberg when she arrived in New York by boat for the UN climate summit\n\n[Tap to expand]\n\nhttps://t.co/35M4YqWmnq\u201d— BBC News (World) (@BBC News (World)) 1567031213
Not wasting time following her arrival in the United States, Thunberg said she is planning to take part in a climate strike outside of the United Nations headquarters in New York City on Friday.
On Twitter, U.N. secretary-general Antonio Guterres welcomed Thunberg to New York and applauded her commitment to confronting the planetary emergency.
"The determination and perseverance shown during your journey should embolden all of us taking part in next month's Climate Action Summit," said Guterres, referring to the U.N. event in New York on Sept. 23, which will come as people across the world strike for a livable future and pressure world leaders to take action in line with the urgent recommendations of the scientific community.
"We must deliver on the demands of people around the world," Guterres said, "and address the global climate crisis."
Why Your Ongoing Support Is Essential
Donald Trump’s attacks on democracy, justice, and a free press are escalating — putting everything we stand for at risk. We believe a better world is possible, but we can’t get there without your support. Common Dreams stands apart. We answer only to you — our readers, activists, and changemakers — not to billionaires or corporations. Our independence allows us to cover the vital stories that others won’t, spotlighting movements for peace, equality, and human rights. Right now, our work faces unprecedented challenges. Misinformation is spreading, journalists are under attack, and financial pressures are mounting. As a reader-supported, nonprofit newsroom, your support is crucial to keep this journalism alive. Whatever you can give — $10, $25, or $100 — helps us stay strong and responsive when the world needs us most. Together, we’ll continue to build the independent, courageous journalism our movement relies on. Thank you for being part of this community. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
After two weeks of sailing, 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg arrived in New York on Wednesday with an urgent call to action.
"The climate and ecological crisis is a global crisis, and the biggest crisis humanity has ever faced. And if we don't manage to work together to cooperate... despite our differences, then we will fail. So we need to stand together," Thunberg told a crowd of supporters who gathered to celebrate her arrival. "Let's not wait any longer. Let's do it now."
Thunberg's lonely protest outside the Swedish parliament building last August, and her persistent activism in the months since, sparked a wave of youth-led climate demonstrations across the world and inspired the global climate strikes set to kick off in over a 150 countries next month.
Organizers expect the strikes, scheduled to begin Sept. 20, to be the largest climate demonstration since the "Fridays for Future" movement launched--and maybe ever.
"Sea levels are rising, and so are we!" activists chanted as the emissions-free boat that carried Thunberg across the Atlantic approached New York.
Thunberg's journey by boat, which stemmed from her refusal to fly due to the carbon emissions spouted by planes, garnered significant coverage from America's major television networks, bringing more attention to the forthcoming week of global climate action.
Upon reaching shore, Thunberg said it is "insane that a 16-year-old has to cross the Atlantic Ocean to make a stand." But in doing so, the Swedish environmentalist galvanized young people who are eager to take to the streets and force political leaders to act on the existential threat posed by the climate crisis.
"Something that's really common among young people is a lot of time we just aren't given that platform," Shiv, a college sophomore, told Earther. "Now, Greta and millions of other kids are showing that we don't need it handed to us. We can fight for the platform that we deserve and that our voices need to be heard."
"On the 20th, we have three main demands as part of our coalition, which is no more fossil fuels, a just transition for frontline communities and for everybody in general, as well as holding fossil fuel executives accountable," said Shiv. "I think a really big contribution [Thunberg] had is really making young people realize that we do have power, that we have the ability to change the conversation."
\u201c"Our war on nature must end," said young climate activist Greta Thunberg when she arrived in New York by boat for the UN climate summit\n\n[Tap to expand]\n\nhttps://t.co/35M4YqWmnq\u201d— BBC News (World) (@BBC News (World)) 1567031213
Not wasting time following her arrival in the United States, Thunberg said she is planning to take part in a climate strike outside of the United Nations headquarters in New York City on Friday.
On Twitter, U.N. secretary-general Antonio Guterres welcomed Thunberg to New York and applauded her commitment to confronting the planetary emergency.
"The determination and perseverance shown during your journey should embolden all of us taking part in next month's Climate Action Summit," said Guterres, referring to the U.N. event in New York on Sept. 23, which will come as people across the world strike for a livable future and pressure world leaders to take action in line with the urgent recommendations of the scientific community.
"We must deliver on the demands of people around the world," Guterres said, "and address the global climate crisis."
After two weeks of sailing, 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg arrived in New York on Wednesday with an urgent call to action.
"The climate and ecological crisis is a global crisis, and the biggest crisis humanity has ever faced. And if we don't manage to work together to cooperate... despite our differences, then we will fail. So we need to stand together," Thunberg told a crowd of supporters who gathered to celebrate her arrival. "Let's not wait any longer. Let's do it now."
Thunberg's lonely protest outside the Swedish parliament building last August, and her persistent activism in the months since, sparked a wave of youth-led climate demonstrations across the world and inspired the global climate strikes set to kick off in over a 150 countries next month.
Organizers expect the strikes, scheduled to begin Sept. 20, to be the largest climate demonstration since the "Fridays for Future" movement launched--and maybe ever.
"Sea levels are rising, and so are we!" activists chanted as the emissions-free boat that carried Thunberg across the Atlantic approached New York.
Thunberg's journey by boat, which stemmed from her refusal to fly due to the carbon emissions spouted by planes, garnered significant coverage from America's major television networks, bringing more attention to the forthcoming week of global climate action.
Upon reaching shore, Thunberg said it is "insane that a 16-year-old has to cross the Atlantic Ocean to make a stand." But in doing so, the Swedish environmentalist galvanized young people who are eager to take to the streets and force political leaders to act on the existential threat posed by the climate crisis.
"Something that's really common among young people is a lot of time we just aren't given that platform," Shiv, a college sophomore, told Earther. "Now, Greta and millions of other kids are showing that we don't need it handed to us. We can fight for the platform that we deserve and that our voices need to be heard."
"On the 20th, we have three main demands as part of our coalition, which is no more fossil fuels, a just transition for frontline communities and for everybody in general, as well as holding fossil fuel executives accountable," said Shiv. "I think a really big contribution [Thunberg] had is really making young people realize that we do have power, that we have the ability to change the conversation."
\u201c"Our war on nature must end," said young climate activist Greta Thunberg when she arrived in New York by boat for the UN climate summit\n\n[Tap to expand]\n\nhttps://t.co/35M4YqWmnq\u201d— BBC News (World) (@BBC News (World)) 1567031213
Not wasting time following her arrival in the United States, Thunberg said she is planning to take part in a climate strike outside of the United Nations headquarters in New York City on Friday.
On Twitter, U.N. secretary-general Antonio Guterres welcomed Thunberg to New York and applauded her commitment to confronting the planetary emergency.
"The determination and perseverance shown during your journey should embolden all of us taking part in next month's Climate Action Summit," said Guterres, referring to the U.N. event in New York on Sept. 23, which will come as people across the world strike for a livable future and pressure world leaders to take action in line with the urgent recommendations of the scientific community.
"We must deliver on the demands of people around the world," Guterres said, "and address the global climate crisis."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
LATEST NEWS
Head of Largest US Teachers Union Warns Trump Budget Law Will Worsen Child Hunger Crisis
"These are not abstract numbers," wrote National Education Association president Becky Pringle. "These are real children who show up to school eager to learn but are instead distracted by hunger."
Aug 13, 2025
The leader of the largest teachers union in the United States is sounding the alarm over the impact that President Donald Trump's newly enacted budget law will have on young students, specifically warning that massive cuts to federal nutrition assistance will intensify the nation's child hunger crisis.
Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association (NEA)—which represents millions of educators across the U.S.—wrote for Time magazine earlier this week that "as families across America prepare for the new school year, millions of children face the threat of returning to classrooms without access to school meals" under the budget measure that Trump signed into law last month after it cleared the Republican-controlled Congress.
Estimates indicate that more than 18 million children nationwide could lose access to free school meals due to the law's unprecedented cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid, which are used to determine eligibility for free meals in most U.S. states.
The Trump-GOP budget law imposes more strict work-reporting requirements on SNAP recipients and expands the mandates to adults between the ages of 55 and 64 and parents with children aged 14 and older. The Congressional Budget Office said earlier this week that the more aggressive work requirements would kick millions of adults off SNAP over the next decade—with cascading effects for children and other family members who rely on the program.
"Educators see this pain every day, and that's why they go above and beyond—buying classroom snacks with their own money—to support their students."
Pringle wrote in her Time op-ed that "our children can't learn if they are hungry," adding that as a middle school science teacher she has seen first-hand "the pain that hunger creates."
"Educators see this pain every day, and that's why they go above and beyond—buying classroom snacks with their own money—to support their students," she wrote.
The NEA president warned that cuts from the Trump-GOP law "will hit hardest in places where families are already struggling the most, especially in rural and Southern states where school nutrition programs are a lifeline to many."
"In Texas, 3.4 million kids, nearly two-thirds of students, are eligible for free and reduced lunch," Pringle wrote. "In Mississippi, 439,000 kids, 99.7% of the student population, were eligible for free and reduced-cost lunch during the 2022-23 school year."
"These are not abstract numbers," she added. "These are real children who show up to school eager to learn but are instead distracted by hunger and uncertainty about when they will eat again. America's kids deserve better.
Pringle's op-ed came as school leaders, advocates, and lawmakers across the country braced for the impacts of Trump's budget law.
"We're going to see cuts to programs such as SNAP and Medicaid, resulting in domino effects for the children we serve," Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) said during a recent gathering of lawmakers and experts. "For many of our communities, these policies mean life or death."
Trump's Military Occupation of DC Egged On by Corporate Lobbyists: Report
In some cases, corporate groups have posed as small business owners besieged by rising crime rates.
Aug 13, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump's military occupation of Washington, D.C. has been egged on for months by corporate lobbyists. In some cases, they have posed as small business owners besieged by rising crime rates.
According to a report Tuesday in The Lever:
Last February, the American Investment Council, private equity's $24 million lobbying shop, penned a letter to D.C. city leaders demanding "immediate action" to address an "alarming increase" in crime.
That letter was published as an exclusive by Axios with the headline: "Downtown D.C. Business Leaders Demand Crime Solutions."
But far from a group of beleaguered mom-and-pops, the letter's signatories "included some of the biggest trade groups on K Street," The Lever observed:
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which boasts its status as the largest business organization in the world; the National Retail Federation, a powerful retail alliance representing giants like Walmart and Target; and Airlines for America, which represents the major U.S. airlines, among others. These lobbying juggernauts spend tens of millions of dollars every year lobbying federal lawmakers to get their way in Washington."
It was one of many efforts by right-wing groups to agitate for a more fearsome police crackdown in the city and oppose criminal justice reforms.
On multiple occasions, business groups and police unions have helped to thwart efforts by the D.C. city council to rewrite the city's criminal code, which has not been updated in over a century, to eliminate many mandatory minimum sentences and reduce sentences for some nonviolent offenses.
The reforms were vetoed by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser in 2023. After the veto was overridden by the city council, Democrats helped Republicans pass a law squashing the reforms, which was signed by then-President Joe Biden.
In 2024, groups like the Chamber of Commerce pushed the "Secure D.C." bill in the city council, which expanded pre-trial detention, weakened restrictions on chokeholds, and limited public access to police disciplinary records.
At the time, business groups lauded these changes as necessary to fight the post-pandemic crime spike D.C. was experiencing.
But crime rates in D.C. have fallen precipitously, to a 30-year low over the course of 2024. As a press release from the U.S. attorney's office released on January 3, 2025 stated: "homicides are down 32%; robberies are down 39%; armed carjackings are down 53%; assaults with a dangerous weapon are down 27% when compared with 2023 levels."
Nevertheless, as Trump sends federal troops into D.C., many in the corporate world are still cheering.
In a statement Monday, the D.C. Chamber of Commerce described itself as a "strong supporter" of the Home Rule Act, which Trump used to enact his federal crackdown.
The Washington Business Journal quoted multiple consultancy executives—including Yaman Coskum, who exclaimed that "It is about time somebody did something to make D.C. great again," and Kirk McLaren who said, "If local leaders won't protect residents and businesses, let's see if the federal government will step in and do what's necessary to create a safe and prosperous city."
Despite crime also being on the decline in every other city he has singled out—Los Angeles, Baltimore, Oakland, New York, and Chicago—Trump has said his deployment of federal troops "will go further."
Newsom Says He's Moving Ahead With New California Maps That 'Will Be Devastating for MAGA'
"California will now draw new, more 'beautiful maps,'" wrote Newsom's press office in a Trump-style social media post.
Aug 13, 2025
The office of Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday night revealed that the governor was going ahead with plans to redraw California's congressional map with the goal of counteracting Republicans' planned mid-decade gerrymander in Texas.
In a post on X, Newsom's press office made the announcement while openly parodying the social media posting style of U.S. President Donald Trump.
"DONALD 'TACO' TRUMP, AS MANY CALL HIM, 'MISSED' THE DEADLINE!!!" the post began. "CALIFORNIA WILL NOW DRAW NEW, MORE 'BEAUTIFUL MAPS,' THEY WILL BE HISTORIC AS THEY WILL END THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY (DEMS TAKE BACK THE HOUSE!). BIG PRESS CONFERENCE THIS WEEK WITH POWERFUL DEMS AND GAVIN NEWSOM—YOUR FAVORITE GOVERNOR—THAT WILL BE DEVASTATING FOR 'MAGA.' THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER!"
The announcement came less than two days after Newsom sent a letter to Trump warning the president that he was "playing with fire" by pushing Texas to draw a new map that independent analysts have estimated could net Republicans five additional seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
At the time, Newsom also left open the possibility of backing off his threat to redraw California's map if Texas did likewise.
"If you will not stand down I will be forced to lead an effort to redraw the maps in California to offset the rigging of maps in red states," Newsom said. "But if the other states call off their redistricting efforts, we will happily do the same. And American democracy will be better for it."
Newsom then informed Trump that he had until late Tuesday to respond to his letter before the California governor took action.
Before redrawing California's map, however, Newsom would have to undo his state's current redistricting process through a special ballot initiative this fall, as for years California's districts have been determined by an independent commission.
As the gerrymandering wars have escalated, pro-democracy watchdog Common Cause this week unveiled a new set of standards for any redistricting effort that includes measures such as using independent commissions and avoiding racial discrimination aimed at reducing the political power of minorities throughout the country.
Most Popular
We cover the issues the corporate media never will.
Please support our journalism.