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Thousands pledge not to have children until action is taken on climate change

Posted at 4:20 PM, Nov 23, 2019
and last updated 2019-11-23 16:20:05-05

WKBW — No future, no children.

That's Emma Lim's,18, pledge, and it's a message that's spreading. She's vowing not to have kids until governments across the world take action on climate change.

"It came about out of the fear that we feel when we think about the future and it's meant to be a plea for action and just an expression of that fear," said Lim.

At first she thought the pledge would get about 500 signatures. She never expected their to be 5,000 signatures and counting. People from Venezuela to Australia are taking the pledge. Sharing their own stories about why they are taking the pledge.

Sophia and Valerie are two of the approximately 20 teens that make up Western New York's Youth Climate Council. They both say the pledge is something they'd consider.

The group's biggest goal is to get Erie County to declare a climate change emergency, over 50 counties and local municipalities across the U.S. officially declared one.

"We often ignore there's going to be generations after us," said the Council's co-founder Ilyas Khan.