September 2019 climate strikes
The September 2019 climate strikes, also known as the Global Week for Future, were a series of international strikes and protests to demand action be taken to address climate change, which took place from 20 to 27 September 2019. The strikes' key dates were 20 September, which was three days before the United Nations Climate Summit, and 27 September. The protests took place across 4,500 locations in 150 countries. The event stemmed from the Fridays for Future school strike for climate movement, inspired by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. The Guardian reported that roughly 6 million people participated in the events, whilst 350.orga group that organised many of the protestsclaim that 7.6 million people participated.
The 20 September protests were likely the largest climate strikes in world history. Organisers reported that over 4 million people participated in strikes worldwide, including 1.4 million participants in Germany. An estimated 300,000 protesters took part in Australian strikes, a further 300,000 people joined UK protests and protesters in New Yorkwhere Greta Thunberg delivered a speechnumbered roughly 250,000. More than 2,000 scientists in 40 countries pledged to support the strikes.
A second wave of protests took place on 27 September, in which an estimated 2 million people took part in over 2,400 protests. There were reported figures of one million protesters in Italy, and 170,000 people in New Zealand. In Montreal, where Greta Thunberg spoke, the Montreal school board cancelled classes for 114,000 of its students. An estimated 500,000 protesters, including several federal party leaders, joined the march in Montreal.
Background
The strike is the third global strike of the school strike for climate movement. The first strike in March 2019 had 1.6 million participants from over 125 countries. The second in May 2019 was timed to coincide with the 2019 European Parliament election, consisting of over 1,600 events in 125 countries. The third set of global strikes were scheduled primarily for 20 and 27 September. They were timed to occur around the UN Youth Climate Summit and the UN Climate Action Summit. 27 September is also the anniversary of the publishing of Silent Spring, a 1962 book which was key to starting the environmentalist movement.Actions by country
Afghanistan
In Kabul, youth marched against climate change under the protection of army troops. The public health ministry of Afghanistan reported that thousands of Afghan people die annually from air pollution.Angola
Over 50,000 children and youth gathered for the first time in the capital city of Luanda in solidarity on the climate change movement.Antarctica
A small group of researchers stationed at Antarctica joined the strike.Antigua and Barbuda
Students from various schools in the islands country lined the streets near the Botanical Gardens in the capital city of St. John's and chanting "we want climate justice now", "sea levels are rising and so are we" and "keep our carbon in the soil no more oil".Argentina
Argentina scheduled 18 marches for 20 September as part of the global climate strike. Young Argentinians who demanded urgent measures were concentrated in the central Plaza de Mayo in the capital city of Buenos Aires. In addition to the international slogans, Argentina had the motto "We do not want to be the garbage dump of the world", in reference to the controversial decree president made by president Mauricio Macri that made the criteria for importing waste from other countries more flexible.On 27 September, a further 30 strikes took place.
Australia
The Global Climate Strike started in Australia. On 20 September, organisers estimated that over 300,000 people attended 100 rallies across the country. Over 2,500 businesses allowed employees to take part in the strikes, or closed entirely for the day. In Melbourne, the protest gathered an estimated 100,000 participants. Organisers claim that 80,000 people took part in a protest at The Domain in Sydney. A strike in Brisbane gathered a reported 30,000 protesters, whilst organisers reported figures of 22,000 in Hobart, 15,000 in Canberra, 10,000 in Perth, 10,000 in Newcastle and 8,000 in Adelaide.Australian protests called for the government to reach "100 percent renewable energy generation and exports" by 2030, to refrain from starting new fossil fuel projects and to fund "a just transition and job creation for all fossil fuel industry workers and communities". As of 2019, Australia is a leading exporter of coal and liquefied natural gas. Protesters also demanded the halt of all construction of the Adani-Carmichael coal mine in central Queensland. The Adani mine has been a major source of contention in Australian politics since its initial approval in 2014.
At Bondi Beach, activists removed cigarette butts and bits of plastics from the sand.
Austria
Around 150,000 students marched in the streets of Austria on 27 September, as part of the climate strike with the demonstrations have been declared as school events in the capital city of Vienna as well in states of Burgenland and Vorarlberg.Bangladesh
Protests in Dhaka were joined by thousands of school children from different schools, urging world leaders to take action and forming a human chain.Belarus
A single-person strike took place in Minsk. One member of Belarus Young Greens, Veronica Yanovich went on a strike on her own, holding a banner. This strike drew media attention in Belarus.Belgium
According to the police, 15,000 people were on the streets in Brussels participating in the global protest. Some media outlets reported that some schools made the protest into an extracurricular activity to help motivate students and not punish them for attending.Bolivia
Students from La Paz and Cochabamba jointly took part in the climate strike that aimed to demand urgent action from leaders to stop the negative impacts on the environment, with the youth marching through the Paseo del Prado of La Paz and forming a human carpet. The protest included speeches about the fire in Chiquitania where the youth demanded the repeal of the law authorizing deforestation in the country's east, and requested the declaration of a national climate emergency. Students and teachers from the University of San Simón in Cochabamba marched to demand an indefinite stop on environmental destruction in the Chiquitania area.Bosnia and Herzegovina
A protest was held in Bosnia's capital of Sarajevo in front of the Eternal Fire memorial with other protests also held in other Bosnian cities.Brazil
In Brazil, 48 protests were planned. Thousands protested in cities such as Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Brasília. Protestors rallied urging the Brazilian government to take a stance in combat the increase in Amazon rainforest deforestation and wildfires.Bulgaria
Three events on the climate strikes were organised by Fridays for Future with a procession held in Bulgaria's capital of Sofia from the National Palace of Culture. A second procession was held in Varna at the entrance of the Sea Garden while in Samokov, the public gathered at Zahari Zograf Square.Burundi
In Bujumbura, 35 activists cleared rubbish on the shores of Lake Tanganyika.Canada
Strikes began on 20 September, with "die-in" demonstrations staged in Vancouver and many other cities across the country. A "die-in" is a protest in which people lie on the floor, closing their eyes or staring blankly above them, as if they were dead. Further climate action demonstrations were scheduled across 80 locations on 27 September, when Greta Thunberg arrived in Montreal, Quebec. The city's largest school board, Commission scolaire de Montréal, cancelled classes for their 114,000 pupils to allow them to attend. The Toronto District School Board advised teachers to avoid scheduling tests or assignments on that day. However, students under 18 years of age were required to obtain parental permission. Further strikes were planned at Dawson College in Montreal, and at the University of British Columbia.On 27 September, at least 85 Canadian cities and towns participated in climate strike actions. Over 100,000 people turned up to a demonstration in Vancouver and another 20,000 in Victoria. The school districts of Vancouver and Surrey permitted students to join the march, provided they had parental approval. 600 students from the University of Calgary skipped morning classes in order to join a rally near city hall. Crowd sizes in Ottawa exceeded those on Canada Day celebrations. Some people chanted their slogans in both official languages of English and French. In Halifax, Nova Scotia, more than 10,000 protesters marched through the downtown area. In Edmonton, Alberta, thousands protested near the provincial legislature, but stopped short of criticizing the fossil fuel industry. Some even expressed their love for it. Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante declared public transit in her city was free on the date of the protest and awarded Greta Thunberg the keys to the city. In a remark made while welcoming Thunberg to city hall, she repeated her plan to reduce carbon emissions by 55% by 2030 and finally carbon neutral by 2050. Montreal's transit authority shared a map on social media showing which areas to avoid due to construction work, which Metro stations to get on and off, and where bus services were disrupted by the climate march. Organisers claimed that half a million people joined the march in Montreal. While city officials initially estimated that number to be around 315,000, Mayor Plante later stated that 500,000 people indeed took part in the march. The turnout in Canada altogether may have been one million or more.