‘It makes me sad and stressed’: Young activists stage ‘climate strike’ march, protest in downtown Bend

(Update: Adding video, comments from OSU, organizers)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A group of local youth advocates came together in downtown Bend to voice their opinions on Friday afternoon as part of a statewide "Climate Strike" marking Earth Day.

The event began at Drake Park and ended with a rally at the Peace Corner at Newport Avenue and Wall Street in downtown Bend.

The group of advocates have a list of issues they're fighting for on the local, statewide and national levels.

"I read all these stories and hear these things about different places in the world and here," organizer Amelia Dubose said. "It makes me sad and stressed."

Debose is with Fridays for Future. She joined other climate activists and local organizations like 350 Deschutes and Vocal Seniority to rally for policy changes when it comes to protecting the environment.

Similar events were planned in the Portland area

Freddy Finney-Jordet is 21 years old and is passionate on advocating for change.

"That kind of individual action is not going to do a whole lot in the grand scheme of things," Finney-Jordet said. "While it's very helpful, we need very widespread, systematic and governmental change in order to effect climate change."

Finney-Jordet has advocated for change at several events through the Deschutes Climate Coalition. 

Their current efforts are focused on stopping the expansion of the GT Northwest Pipeline, a 60-year-old natural gas pipeline passing just east of Bend. They're also lobbying the city of Bend to adopt the "Electrify Bend" program - with a goal to electrify all buildings by 2040. 

On a national level, they want banks to reduce fossil fuel investments. 

Climate change researchers at Oregon State University applaud the students' effort,s saying individual change is important but ultimately policy change is what will make a difference. 

At OSU, Oregon Climate Change Research Institute Director Erica Fleishman said the key "if society wants to be better prepared for the short-term and long-term consequences of climate change (is) thinking about this regularly, not making it something that we think about it once, once a year."

Here is the local event organizers' news release:

Youth Activists to Host State-Wide Climate Demonstration for Earth Day in Central Oregon

Bend, Oregon: On April 21st, a coalition of local youth climate activists, working closely with Portland Youth Climate Strike and with other local organizations including 350 Deschutes and Vocal Seniority, are hosting a Climate Strike in recognition of Earth Day to acknowledge local, statewide, and national issues relating to the current and future state of our planet. The “STATEWIDE CLIMATE STRIKE” demonstration will take place at 4:00 pm at Drake Park, before marching to the corner of Newport Avenue and Wall Street, or Peace Corner, in downtown Bend.

This strike is part of a statewide movement to acknowledge issues within our counties, state, and country, using the attention that Earth Day brings to amplify our message and demands. The local strike in Bend is set to kick off weekly strikes every Friday, starting at 5:00 pm and taking place at the Peace Corner.

Our groups have created a list of goals which we hope the upcoming climate strike will help to accomplish:

On a local level:

• That the GTN XPress fracked gas pipeline expansion, which runs through Bend and would release 3.47 million additional tons of greenhouse gasses per year, be stopped immediately.
• That the City of Bend begins a plan to electrify Bend.
• That the State keep its climate pledge of zero energy emissions by 2040, by divesting from fossil fuel infrastructure like the dangerous CEI Hub, and by passing climate-action bills this legislative session.

On a broader/national level:

• That banks divest immediately from fossil fuel investments.
• That the United States keep its climate pledges by not approving disastrous new fossil fuel investments, such as the Willow Project.

The climate strike will also call upon our elected representatives to publicly oppose the XPress expansion of the fossil gas pipeline: U.S. District 2 Representative Cliff Bentz, U.S. District 5 Representative Lori Chavez-DeRemer, state House Representatives Jason Kropf and Emerson Levy, state Senator Tim Knopp, and Governor Tina Kotek.