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Climate change activists take to the streets in Brighton

Dozens of students gathered at the 12 corners area in Brighton on Friday afternoon to call for action on climate change.

The chants focused on fossil fuels and other factors students from Brighton and other schools say are contributing to climate change.

They were there as part of a youth climate strike that was held around the world to bring awareness to the issue. (Video by WXXI's Max Schulte:

Brighton 11th grader Anissa Basnayake says she wants to see climate change addressed as fact, and not as a political issue. And she says we don’t have a lot of time to wait before taking more action to help mitigate the effects of climate change.

“It’s our future that’s being affected and so the next couple of years is really what makes or breaks our life

The event on Friday was organized by area youth, but open to people of all ages.

A number of local activists have come together to launch a new coalition called the New York Climate Leaders.

Randy Gorbman is WXXI's director of news and public affairs. Randy manages the day-to-day operations of WXXI News on radio, television, and online.