The many faces and massive scale of the global climate strike

Young people and activists have been taking to the streets in cities around the world today to protest against inaction in the face of global climate change.

Today’s climate strike is a continuation of a movement popularized by Swedish teenager and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Greta Thunberg, who began a weekly protest in August 2018 in front of the Swedish parliament. This time she will be demonstrating and speaking in New York City, which she reached, famously, by traveling across the Atlantic via sailboat. In her time in the US, she has testified to Congress and will appear at the UN General Assembly, which kicks off next week.

While the Global Climate Strike protests are filling city streets (and at least one beach, on the Solomon Islands) with demonstrators of all ages, the movement is notable for its emphasis on the young people who will inherit the climate crises of the future. In demonstrations around the world, they are sending forth a serious message on the imminent danger of climate change, the importance of a rapid transition away from fossil fuels, as well as the need to pay attention to those people who will face the consequences of a shifting climate far worse than others.

Here is a glimpse of where people are protesting today: