Thousands worldwide join global climate strike

Hundreds of thousands of young people worldwide on Friday are participating in the Global Climate Strike as organizers say it is expected to be the biggest day of protests ever surrounding the issue of climate change.

The protests kicked off in Australia, where organizers said more than 300,000 people gathered in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and other cities. Melbourne hosted the largest demonstration, with more than 100,000 climate activists attending, CNN reported the organizers as saying.

{mosads}The strike has been largely organized and shared by 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who started #FridaysForFuture climate strikes on her own in August 2018 by sitting in front of the Swedish Parliament in protest of her home country’s inaction on climate change. 

Thunberg retweeted footage from protests around the world Friday, all calling for world leaders to act on climate change because “our window for effective climate action is closing fast,” the strike’s website says. 

School students in Delhi have taken to the streets today to demand government action on #climatechange.

Join the #climatestrike in your city and support their initiative. #GlobalClimateStrikes #FridaysForFuture #ActOnClimate #WhyOnEarth #Strike4Climate @WhyOnEarthYKA pic.twitter.com/bZYqmR8IUW

— Youth Ki Awaaz (@YouthKiAwaaz) September 20, 2019

#GlobalClimateStrikes from my classroom window in Warsaw. pic.twitter.com/VRUurSC308

— Mr Raitt (@Mr_Raitt) September 20, 2019

London!#ClimateStrikepic.twitter.com/wRQEq3GptG

— YouthStrike4Climate (@Strike4Youth) September 20, 2019

We are walking to the Ministry of Resources and Environment to demand a safe climate #FridaysForFuture #ClimateStrikeThailand #ClimateStrike #ClimateEmergency pic.twitter.com/WzHUuEOESm

— Greenpeace Thailand (@greenpeaceth) September 20, 2019 

Thunberg said that approximately 4,638 events were organized in 139 countries, CNN reported.

More than 1 million New York City children will not be penalized for skipping school Friday to attend the global rally, the city’s Department of Education tweeted last week.

.@NYCschools will excuse absences of students participating in the #ClimateStrike on Friday 9/20. Students will need parental consent. Younger students can only leave school with a parent. https://t.co/hcBO1Cnb3m

— NYC Public Schools (@NYCSchools) September 12, 2019

Although the movement is spearheaded by young people, the rallies extend beyond children as well. Hundreds of thousands of parents and other adult climate activists are also expected to attend the worldwide protests, including more than 1,000 Amazon employees, who announced that they are set to strike to support the Global Climate Strike.