Thirteen-year-old Rosie Clemans-Cope and her 17-year-old sister, Eleanor, both of Rockville, are taking climate change head-on.
Rosie was inspired to get involved after watching a PBS NewsHour story three years ago about teenage activist Greta Thunberg holding a solo climate strike in Sweden.
The sisters have participated in local rallies to pressure Montgomery County to strengthen its Climate Action Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by including timelines and projected costs. In 2019, the teens spoke at the U.S. Capitol during an international youth climate strike day. Rosie and Eleanor also are involved in Sunrise Movement, a national group of young climate activists, and have protested with others outside the homes of County Executive Marc Elrich and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan.
Their family has long been involved in activism, and the sisters say some of their earliest memories are of joining their parents at rallies for women’s rights or against gun violence. Together, the family has learned about the science behind climate change, but the girls have taken the lead on the issue, says their mother, Lisa Clemans-Cope, an economist at the Urban Institute. Their father, Keary Cope, is a scientist at the National Institutes of Health.
The sisters believe they can leverage their youthfulness when making the case to protect the environment.
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Source: Bethesda Magazine