Greta Thunberg joins LA protest of oil drilling

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The 16-year-old Swedish girl who accused international leaders of ignoring the dangers of global warming in a speech shared around the world is joining young fellow activists in Los Angeles for a protest aimed at getting California out of the oil-drilling business.

Greta Thunberg is the scheduled keynote speaker at Friday’s downtown rally organized by Youth Climate Strike Los Angeles.

After a rally in front of City Hall, young protesters plan to march to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s nearby office.

The protest is part of an effort to pressure the state to shut down oil extraction, especially in densely populated urban neighborhoods like those dotting Los Angeles and surrounding cities.

Eventually, organizers say, they’d like to see California, one of the nation’s largest oil-producing states, get out of the extraction business to reduce climate change.