Indian Students Skip School To Join Global Climate Strike

From London to New York City and from Melbourne to Mumbai, tens of thousands of young climate activists in more than 150 countries have skipped school, university, or work, to strike against climate inaction on Friday. 

With warming oceans, shrinking ice sheets and rising sea levels serving as indicators that our planet is reeling under the effects of climate change, millions of children and young people have gathered at a Global Climate Strike beginning September 20. Their demand: an end to fossil fuels and climate justice for everyone.

In Delhi, the climate strikes are planned at different locations for a week from September 20-27, demanding action on major issues such as carbon dioxide emissions, deforestation, use of fossil fuels, and plastics. The strikes are being co-organised by three major environmental groups – Jhatkaa.org, Fridays For Future (FFF) and Extinction Rebellion (XR).

Protests have already started in Mumbai:

#GlobalClimateStrike has started.. children demanding for #ClimateEmergency .. 'we want more trees!' #ActNow for their future! Join us take #ClimateAction @GretaThunberg @MumbaiMirror @350 @FFFIndia pic.twitter.com/3lmzPUNoFA

— Fridays for future_Mumbai (@fffmumbai1) September 20, 2019

The youngsters are urging adults to join them in what is expected to be the biggest day of climate demonstrations in the planet's history. The protests planned in some 150 countries on Friday, will culminate in New York ahead of a United Nations climate change summit in the city next week. 

Several unions and humanitarian groups have also lent their support for faster action to fight climate change.

Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swede who inspired the climate strike, tweeted her support. "Incredible pictures," she wrote from New York where she will lead the protest. "This is the huge crowd building up in Sydney. Australia is setting the standard!"

Incredible pictures as Australia’s gathering for the #climatestrike
This is the huge crowd building up in Sydney.
Australia is setting the standard!
Its bedtime in New York...so please share as many pictures as you can as the strikes move across Asia to Europe and Africa! pic.twitter.com/7eAPUQPq5C

— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) September 20, 2019

The Global Climate Strike is a worldwide event wherein people take time off work and ‘strike’ to press for action to mitigate climate change. About 13 cities in India, including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Kochi, Allahabad and Calicut are hosting ‘climate strikes’ between September 20 and September 27.