A group of activists gathered in front of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) in Washington, DC, on Wednesday to deliver over 200 thousand signatures demanding a debate on climate change.

“We’re here to talk about what our future is going to look like,” said one protester.

“This issue is not only about equality — it is also about existence,” shouted another activist. “[For] those who died in [Hurricane] Sandy, or Katrina, or Harvey, or Irma, or because of [the] Paradise [fire], or because of California, or the farmers, or all around this country who have died because of climate change — do respect for them and hold a damn climate debate! For those who are no longer here!”

Activists are discouraged by the announcement last week from DNC Chair Tom Perez that the party will not hold a separate primary debate on the topic of climate change.

According to an email distributed by the event’s organizers, “the petition signatures were collected by CREDO Action, Greenpeace USA, Climate Hawks Vote, Oil Change U.S., Daily Kos, Friends of the Earth Action, Public Citizen, Endangered Species Coalition, People Demanding Action, CPD Action, Women’s March National, Bold Nebraska, Bold Alliance, Amazon Watch, 350 Action, Sunrise Movement, Food & Water Action, NextGen America, US Youth Climate Strike, and MoveOn.”

Video credit: Matthew Perdie

Amanda House and Zenny Phuong contributed to this post.