Baltimore Teen Activist Uses Art To Call Attention To Climate Change
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Some experts say the winter storms much of the country saw this year, with worsening extremes, are due to climate change.
Now, one Baltimore teen activist is using her voice to draw attention to the cause.
On her walk home from high school two years ago, Nadia Nazar noticed a dead butterfly on the side of the road.
"It was really devastating because it was really cold outside and I saw that was the reason that it probably passed away," Nazar said.
It affected her so much, she created a painting.
"This image is of me screaming for justice, for my voice to be heard about climate justice," Nazar said.
The Baltimore County teen connected with other kids to create an online community called "Zero Hour."
"We focus on awareness, education and mobilizing young people around climate justice," Nazar said.
Nazar used the platform to rally youth and attend a climate change march in Washington, D.C.
She even had the opportunity to sit next to internationally recognized Swedish activist Greta Thunberg.
Now a freshman in college, Nazar will also attend the Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health's first-ever climate change summit this summer to speak to high schoolers.
Nazar said she hopes she can show other youth just how much their voices matter.
"I want them to know that it's going to be hard sometimes, but the world needs to have their ideas, the world needs to have their action because it's such a daunting issue and it's coming up so fast," Nazar said.