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| Global climate strike in March 2019 |
The climate strikes on September 20th and 27th are a plea for government action. As part of a week of climate action events are taking place around the world coinciding with the United Nations climate summit that is taking place in New York City on September 23rd.
Attendance at the protest in the Big Apple will be buoyed by the fact that NYC public schools have given students the day off if they want to participate in the strike. The students who attend are expected to lead class discussions about the day of action when they return to school.
NYC public school board made its decision after Amnesty International secretary general Kumi Naidoo asked schools around the world to allow students to join the strikes.
These strikes were started by climate activist Greta Thunberg who has sat in front of the Swedish parliament every week demanding her government get serious about climate action. Now climate strikes–also known as Fridays for Climate–have taken place in countries all around the world.
On February 15th of this year thousands of young people came together in London to demand climate action and protest environmental degradation. The student strike on March 15th, was the biggest to date with participation from millions of students in more than 2000 cities around the world.
Amnesty International’s U.S. chapter shared a video on social media that featured 15-year-old Kallan Benson from Annapolis, Maryland, who called on leaders to listen to scientists and act on the crisis.
“This September, millions of us will walk out of our workplaces and homes to join young climate strikers on the streets and demand an end to the age of fossil fuels,” reads the organizing website. “Our house is on fire—let’s act like it. We demand climate justice for everyone.”
