Sixteen child petitioners filed a historic complaint with the U.N. Here's why, in their own words:

From Democracy Now
Posted on YouTube Sept. 24, 2019

Sixteen young people from around the world filed an official complaint this week to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, calling out the lack of government action on the climate crisis. Crafted by petitioners from 12 countries and between the ages of 8 and 17, the landmark case alleges that U.N. member states’ failure to properly address the climate crisis constitutes a violation of child rights.

Speaking on stage, the youth activists shared their names and explained their motivations for filing a complaint and organizing to fight against climate change.

"The world signed a contract between generations that the present world would leave a world worth inheriting to the future," said 14-year-old activist Alexandria Villaseñor as she introduced her fellow petitioners. "And today I want to tell the world, you are defaulting on that contract and we are here to collect."

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Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour that airs on nearly 1,400 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch their livestream 8 a.m. - 9 a.m. (ET)  See more at democracynow.org, including Greta Thunberg's speech to world leaders at the U.N. Climate Action Summit.