Global climate strike kicks off with millions expected to participate
People around the world are joining together on Friday and skipping school and work to demand action on the climate crisis.
The strikes, collectively known as the Global Climate Strike, was started by young people as a way to highlight the urgent need for a new approach to address climate change. They come three days before the U.N. Climate Action Summit on Sept. 23, in which world leaders are gathering to present plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
"We're really looking at the strike as the launch of a new era of the climate movement ... we want to create that energy, create that spirit, and send the message so we can bring more people in and grow our movement at the grassroots level," says Katie Eder, the 19-year-old executive director of The Future Coalition, a network of over 40 U.S. youth-led organizing groups, and one of the groups that helped organize the strike.
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Millions of people are expected to join in the actions and strikes from more than 1,000 locations in the U.S. and in 150 countries around the world, a spokesperson from U.S. Youth Climate Strike Coalition says.
Protests kicked off across the Asia Pacific region on Friday, with hundreds of thousands turning up in cities across Australia and New Zealand including Auckland, Sydney, Brisbane, Hobart, Adelaide, and Canberra — 100,000 people hit the streets of Melbourne alone.
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Protests have also taken place across South Asia in capital cities like Bangkok, Delhi, and Dhaka.
Meanwhile, groups organised throughout the Pacific from the Solomon Islands to Kiribati.
In Kenya, protesters hit the streets of Nairobi, while South Africa saw a large demonstration in Johannesburg.
Protests across the UK are taking place in London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Belfast, and other cities, while more strikes are happening in Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Warsaw, Hamburg, and other European cities.
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In America, strikes are planned in cities across the country, including in Boston, Chicago, Miami, San Francisco, and D.C. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg will lead a demonstration in New York.
Though they're certainly leading the charge, young people aren't the only ones involved in the strikes. Employees from companies such as Amazon, Google, and Microsoft have said they'll participate. Fast Company reported that Ben & Jerry's, Burton, Lush, and Patagonia, have also said they're closing their doors so their employees can strike.
Friday's demonstration is one of two global climate strikes planned, with the second one scheduled for Sept. 27. A week of action will occur between the two strikes.
Topics Social Good
Siobhan was the Social Good reporter at Mashable, writing about everything from mental health to race to the climate crisis. Before diving into the world of journalism, she worked in global health — most notably, as a Peace Corps volunteer in Mozambique. Find her at @siobhanneela.
