A Climate Strike march in central Melbourne, Australia, has already gathered a massive crowd.
“This is HUUUGE, Melbourne! Announcers just said over 100,000 people! #climatestrike #Greens,” Greens MP Adam Bandt, who represents the seat of Melbourne in Federal Parliament, tweeted.
But it is not just young people taking part this month, with labor and humanitarian groups, environmental organizations and employees of some of the world’s biggest brands also set to participate.
According to Swedish schoolgirl Thunberg, who is in New York ahead of the United Nations Climate Action Summit on September 23, around 4,638 events have been organized in 139 countries.
By going on strike on September 20 — and September 27 in a few countries — protestors hope to put pressure on politicians and policy makers to act on climate issues.
The 19-year-old added: “On Friday, we’re striking for a Green New Deal; for the immediate cessation of fossil-fuel projects on sovereign indigenous land; for environmental justice; for the protection and restoration of nature; and for sustainable agriculture.
“We’re striking for ourselves, for our friends and family, for the kid who lives down the street from us. We’re striking because it’s what we have to do.”
Amazon & Microsoft workers striking
In March, over 1.6 million people took part in the first Global Climate Strike to demand transformative action on the climate crisis.
The global youth movement has asked for adults to join them this time and many have said they will respond.
Over 1,500 Amazon employees have pledged to walk out and Microsoft workers have also said they will join the strikes.
In Victoria, Australia, students and public workers are being encouraged to walk out of school and work.
NYC gives 1.1 million students permission to skip school
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted he supported the move: “New York City stands with our young people. They’re our conscience.”
Thunberg the figurehead
This week she met former US President Barack Obama and told US politicians that they were not doing enough to combat climate change.
She has been invited to talk at the UN summit by UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres, who has called for heads of government to not bring speeches but plans on what he has called a climate emergency.
The Paris treaty, signed in 2015 by 195 nations, obliged governments to limit global temperature rises to “well below” 2 degrees Celsius and to strive for 1.5 degrees Celsius. The United States withdrew from the treaty in 2017.