>> Thompson: TODAY, AT THE

UNITED NATIONS, YOUNG LEADERS

ARE GATHERING FOR A YOUTH

CLIMATE SUMMIT WHERE THEY WILL

VOICE THEIR CONCERNS AND OFFER

SOLUTIONS FOR A WARMING PLANET.

YESTERDAY, MILLIONS OF YOUNG

PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD

PARTICIPATED IN A GLOBAL CLIMATE

STRIKE.

PRODUCER MAYA NAVON AND

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER NINA JOUNG

COVERED THE STRIKE HERE IN NEW

YORK CITY FOR WNET'S "PERIL AND

PROMISE" INITIATIVE, ADDRESSING

THE CHALLENGE OF CLIMATE CHANGE.

SO, YOU GUYS WERE DOWNTOWN

YESTERDAY.

YOU WERE COVERING THESE

PROTESTS.

MAYA, TELL US, WHAT WAS THE

SCENE LIKE?

WHO WAS THERE?

>> THERE WERE SO MANY PEOPLE

THERE.

THERE'S REPORTS THAT THERE WAS

250,000-PLUS PEOPLE THERE.

AND IT WAS REALLY

INTERGENERATIONAL.

WE SAW PEOPLE OF ALL AGES REALLY

COMING OUT TO HAVE THEIR VOICES

BE HEARD.

AND THERE WAS SO MUCH EXCITEMENT

IN THE AIR, AND YOU JUST FELT

THIS GREAT ENERGY.

I WILL SAY THAT THE MAJORITY OF

THE PEOPLE WERE YOUTH-- HIGH

SCHOOL STUDENTS, MIDDLE-SCHOOL

STUDENTS-- AND THEY WERE OUT IN

FULL FORCE.

>> Thompson: I ASSUME YOU GUYS,

LIKE, TALKED TO SOME OF THOSE

PROTESTERS.

WHAT KINDS OF THINGS WERE THEY

SAYING TO YOU ABOUT WHY THEY

WERE THERE?

>> A LOT OF THEM MENTIONED GRETA

THUNBERG BEING A HUGE

INSPIRATION AND ICON FOR THE

MOVEMENT.

A LOT OF THE POSTERS THAT WE SAW

REFERENCED TO WHAT ARE NOW HER

FAMOUS PHRASES OF "THE HOUSE IS

ON FIRE," "UNITE BEHIND THE

SCIENCE."

THESE ARE PHRASES THAT GRETA HAS

BEEN REPEATING OVER AND OVER TO

THE MEDIA, AND IT'S WHY PEOPLE

HAVE BEEN RALLYING BEHIND.

>> Thompson: SO, WE'RE TALKING

ABOUT THE SWEDISH ACTIVIST,

GRETA THUNBERG.

AND SHE WAS ACTUALLY THERE,

RIGHT?

SHE ADDRESSED THE CROWD.

I MEAN, WHAT WAS THAT LIKE?

>> IT WAS LIKE A ROCK STAR HAD

SHOWN UP.

AS SOON AS SHE GOT ON THE STAGE,

PEOPLE RUSHED TOWARDS THE STAGE

AND WERE CHANTING HER NAME OVER

AND OVER, AND YOU JUST FELT THIS

EXCITEMENT.

SHE'S REALLY BECOME SOMEWHAT OF

AN ICON TO YOUNG PEOPLE BECAUSE

I THINK THEY REALLY FEEL-- THEY

REALLY RESONATE WITH HER

MESSAGE, AND SO IT WAS VERY

EXCITING TO HEAR HER SPEAK.

AND YOU COULD TELL THAT EVERYONE

THERE WAS LISTENING CLOSELY TO

WHAT SHE HAD TO SAY.

>> Thompson: THE PROTESTS HERE

IN NEW YORK WERE JUST PART OF

PROTESTS ALL AROUND THE WORLD.

TALK ABOUT THE TIMING.

WHY THESE PROTESTS NOW?

>> I THINK THESE PROTESTS NOW

BECAUSE PEOPLE-- AND YOUTH,

FRANKLY-- ARE READY FOR CHANGE.

THEY WANT TO HOLD LEADERS

ACCOUNTABLE, AND THEY'RE REALLY

LOOKING TOWARDS THE U.N. CLIMATE

SUMMIT, WHICH IS HAPPENING ON

MONDAY HERE IN NEW YORK, TO SEE

WHAT LEADERS WILL DO.

WILL THEY TAKE ACTION?

AND EVEN IF THEY DON'T, AND THEY

DON'T MEET THEIR DEMANDS, THEY

ARE-- THEIR FIRE IS FUELED.

THEY ARE REALLY EXCITED TO

CONTINUE TO HAVE THEIR VOICES BE

HEARD AND HOLD ADULTS

ACCOUNTABLE.

AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT THE YOUTH

KEEP SAYING.

>> Thompson: YEAH, I MEAN, IT

SEEMS LIKE THIS GENERATION HAS

REALLY EMBRACED CLIMATE CHANGE

IN A NEW WAY.

THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT IT IN NEW

WAYS.

>> I MEAN, I THINK THE YOUTH

KIND OF BRING A MORE VIBRANT

ENERGY TO A DISCUSSION THAT HAS

BEEN HAPPENING FOR DECADES.

BUT RIGHT NOW, I THINK THE YOUTH

KIND OF BRING AN URGENCY

BECAUSE, AS YOU KNOW, THEY ARE

THE FUTURE, AND THERE'S THIS

PRESSURE OF 11 YEARS THAT WE

HAVE BEFORE THE TEMPERATURES

INCREASE BY TWO DEGREES.

AND THEY'RE NOT TAKING THAT

LIGHTLY.

AND YOU CAN SEE THAT NOT JUST IN

THE AMOUNTS OF PEOPLE WHO ARE

GATHERING AT THESE STRIKES.

BUT YOU SEE IT IN MORE

LIGHT-HEARTED WAYS, AS WELL.

LIKE, WHEN WE WERE AT THE

STRIKE, WE SAW REALLY JUST

TONGUE-IN-CHEEK, LIKE, SARCASTIC

SIGNS POINTING AT MEME CULTURE.

I MEAN, YOU CAN'T HAVE A GEN-V

STRIKE WITHOUT MEMES.

SO, THE YOUTH, I THINK, ARE KIND

OF POKING FUN AND BRINGING TO

LIGHT THE FACT THAT ADULTS

HAVEN'T ADDRESSED THIS AS THE

URGENT CRISIS THAT IT IS, AND

THEY ARE STEPPING UP FOR

THEMSELVES.

>> Thompson: ALL RIGHT, MAYA

NAVON, NINA JOUNG, THANK YOU SO

MUCH FOR BEING HERE.

>> THANK YOU.