Zero Hour: A Youth-Led Organization Demanding Climate Action

Young people are often told we are the future, but Zero Hour is here to remind us that we are the present too. A youth-led movement with a mission to “center the voices of diverse youth in the conversation around climate and environmental justice,” Zero Hour has been raising awareness amongst young people about the pressing issue of climate change. 

“There's no negotiating with the climate. It's either we survive or we don't,” Jamie Margolin says, “[And] mediocrity is just not acceptable when everything is at stake.”

Zero Hour by Conrado Muluc, photo courtesy of Jamie Margolin

One of the factors that has allowed the Zero Hour team to effectively address climate change, which disproportionately affects minority communities, is their focus on four specific systems of oppression: patriarchy, capitalism, colonialism, and racism.  These systems are at the root of environmental degradation, and only by systematically dismantling them can we save our environment. 

Frustrated by the “same old excuses” regarding climate inaction from elected leaders and those in power, as well as the exclusion of young voices in conversations concerning climate change, 19-year-old Jamie Margolin founded Zero Hour with a group of her peers.

“There's no negotiating with the climate. It's either we survive or we don't,” Jamie says, “[And] mediocrity is just not acceptable when everything is at stake.”

Like many others, Jamie recognized that the future of younger generations was being compromised. In a letter penned for Time, she explains how frustrated she felt towards global leaders who were “trying to solve the climate crisis—a problem caused by colonialism and capitalism—with more colonialism and capitalism.” And she is not alone. Among her co-founders is 21-year-old activist Zanagee Artis, co-author of A Kids Book About Climate Change and the current policy director for Zero Hour. 

Zanagee Artis, photos courtesy of Zanagee Artis

Zanagee explains how the systems of oppression that Zero Hour actively works against look in practice, describing the pipelines constructed over Indigenous lands, such as the Dakota Access Pipeline, as an example of modern-day colonialism. When corporations owned by wealthy white men receive subsidies to extract fossil fuel from the ground, they are prioritizing economic gains over environmental health. To make matters worse, companies pick these areas strategically.

“They know these low-income communities don't have the resources to fight back against pipeline infrastructure,” Zanagee says, “so [pipeline construction] is related to racism [as well].” 

And, of course, this ongoing cycle of extracting materials from our planet to fuel factories, which fuel economies, completely disregards the environment and the wellbeing of its plants and animals. Capitalism encourages this cycle: it encourages corporations to compete for who can produce the most products in the least amount of time, for the least amount of money. And it’s destroying all of us. 

Still, climate change is not affecting us all equally. According to the United Nations Development Programme, 80 percent of the people displaced by climate change are women. Jamie believes this is no coincidence. 

“The patriarchy exploits women the same way that we exploit the planet,” she remarks, “That's why the fight for women's rights and the fight for climate justice are fundamentally intertwined.” 

When they march and organize for climate justice, young climate activists like Jamie and Zanagee are combating multiple systemic issues, and they’re entering these conversations prepared.

Jamie literally wrote a book on being an effective activist. Last summer, she released Youth to Power: Your Voice and How to Use It, with a foreword by none other than her fellow climate activist Greta Thunberg. 

Jamie Margolin by Bojana Novakovic, photos courtesy of Jamie Margolin

In her book, Jamie describes the foundation of activism as “finding your why.” 

“It is critical to ground yourself in what you’re fighting for before jumping in headfirst, and to continue to keep yourself grounded throughout the whole journey,” Jamie explains in an interview with Teen Vogue regarding her work. Her personal climate “why” is protecting the Pacific Northwest, where she grew up, as well as Colombia, where her family is from. 

“My grandma grew up living off the land in Colombia,” Jamie explains, “She was a campesina [farmer] on a sustainable farm, and she taught me a lot about the Earth and home remedies and respecting it.” This is what motivates Jamie’s demands for climate justice. 

As for her co-founder Zanagee, his journey into activism began at Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut. Seeing all the different marine species evoked a sense of compassion and responsibility in him. 

“Thinking about life other than ourselves and thinking about our impact of consumption and how that relates to larger ecosystems is really what got me interested in climate activism,” Zanagee reflects. 

Zanagee’s education also helps fuel his activism. He’s currently a junior at Brown University studying political science and environmental studies, and he plans to attend law school in the future. 

“I think as an organizer, I have a tool box, right?” Zanagee says, “And I see going to law school as adding another tool to the toolbox of different ways to engage in activism.”

For Zanagee, it's one thing to host a rally and call on elected officials to stop fossil fuel subsidies or even declare a climate emergency, but you can take it a step further if you have the ability to deeply understand the law in order to directly help people in their communities. 

Zero Hour, photo courtesy of Zanagee Artis

The Zero Hour team has stated that those closest to the problem are often closest to the solution, which is why holding elected officials accountable for prioritizing climate change in their political agenda is of utmost importance. Politicians play a role in determining the policies that can ban corporations from proceeding with actions that are harmful to the environment, which is why Zero Hour collaborated with the National Children’s Campaign in 2020 to increase voter participation. Together, the organizations encouraged young people to #Vote4OurFuture, and vote on behalf of those not old enough to vote yet. 

“This is an intergenerational movement,” Jamie explains in an interview for NBC News, “we need the young people’s energy and the wisdom of the [older generations].”

The campaign was a success, encouraging not only the election of President Joe Biden but also pushing him to include climate change at the forefront of his political agenda. During his first days in office, Biden rejoined the Paris Agreement, halted oil and gas leases on federal land, and canceled the Keystone XL Pipeline. 

On March 26th, President Biden invited 40 world leaders to the Leaders Summit on Climate, which he will host on April 22nd and 23rd. This event will focus on reducing carbon emissions, discuss the economic benefits of climate action, and address the global security challenges posed by climate change. The summit will be available for the public to view virtually. 

While these are promising acts, Zanagee explains this is just the tip of the iceberg. The Zero Hour team would love to see Biden follow through on his promise of shutting down the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, which he has recently stepped down from. Zero Hour is also pushing for the shutdown of the Line 3 Pipeline and also the Line 5 Pipeline, which runs below the Great Lakes. 

Pipelines such as these pose a great threat to Indigenous communities across the country as they often are built right through reservations without the consent of local tribes. They not only disregard and threaten Indigenous cultures but also have an impact on the local water supply and pose a great threat to the health and safety of the surrounding community. Additionally, in just the US over the last decade, pipelines have spilled over 34 million gallons of hazardous liquids, leading to catastrophic effects on the environment.

“We have the biggest freshwater body in the world,” Zanagee notes, “and we're running a pipeline right below it. [We need to] push an end to all new pipelines.” 

While Biden canceled all new leases for oil and gas projects, there are millions of acres of federal lands that have already been leased. His ban does not stop oil and gas companies from developing on the lands they have already purchased. A way to reverse this damage would be to halt fracking and drilling on our lands, even if they have already been leased.  

“[This] can look like a buyback program where the government buys back their leases or just a moratorium (i.e. a temporary prohibition of fracking and drilling),” Zanagee proposes. 

While clearly progress still remains to be made, Zero Hour and other climate organizations are excited about the infrastructure budget Biden sent to Congress, which includes ending all fossil fuel subsidies. 

It’s safe to say we’ve come a long way, from having a president who didn’t believe in climate change to one who prioritizes the planet, but there’s still a long, winding road ahead. 

Young climate activists such as Jamie Margolin and Zanagee Artis are here to remind us that there is power in speaking your truth. “The best thing that anyone can do is start from a place of passion,” Zanagee believes. It’s natural to make mistakes along the way, but you will learn as you go. Doing something is better than doing nothing, especially when our lives depend on it. 

STORY ANA SOFIA ERATH