The September 2019 climate strikes, also called the Global Week for Future, were international protests held from September 20 to 27, 2019. These events aimed to encourage action against climate change. Key dates were September 20, which was three days before the United Nations Climate Summit, and September 27. Protests happened in 4,500 places across 150 countries. The movement began with the Fridays for Future school strikes, which were inspired by Greta Thunberg, a Swedish climate activist. The Guardian said about 6 million people joined the events. 350.org, a group that helped organize many protests, reported that 7.6 million people participated.
Protests on September 20 may have been the largest climate strikes ever. Organizers said over 4 million people took part globally, including 1.4 million in Germany. About 300,000 protesters were in Australia, 300,000 in the UK, and around 250,000 in New York, where Greta Thunberg gave a speech. Over 2,000 scientists from 40 countries supported the strikes.
A second round of protests happened on September 27, with about 2 million people participating in over 2,400 events. In Italy, around 1 million people protested, and 170,000 people joined in New Zealand. In Montreal, where Greta Thunberg spoke, the school board canceled classes for 114,000 students. About 500,000 protesters, including some federal leaders, marched in Montreal.
Background
The strike is the third global event in the school strike for climate movement. The first strike in March 2019 had 1.6 million people joining from more than 125 countries. The second strike in May 2019 happened at the same time as the 2019 European Parliament election and included over 1,600 events in 125 countries. The third global strikes were planned mainly for September 20 and 27. These dates were chosen to happen near the UN Youth Climate Summit (September 21) and the UN Climate Action Summit (September 23). September 27 is also the anniversary of the publication of Silent Spring, a 1962 book that helped begin the environmental movement.
Actions by country
In Kabul, young people marched to show support for reducing climate change, with army soldiers helping to protect them. The public health ministry in Afghanistan reported that many people in the country die each year because of polluted air.
More than 50,000 children and young people gathered in Luanda, the capital city of Angola, to show support for the climate movement.
A small group of scientists working in Antarctica joined the climate strike.
Students from schools in the island nation of St. John's lined the streets near the Botanical Gardens and chanted slogans like "we want climate justice now," "sea levels are rising and so are we," and "keep our carbon in the soil, no more oil."
In Argentina, 18 marches were planned for September 20 as part of the global climate strike. Young people in Buenos Aires, the capital, gathered in the central Plaza de Mayo to demand action. Argentina's protesters also used the slogan "We do not want to be the garbage dump of the world," which refers to a rule made by President Mauricio Macri that allowed more waste to be imported from other countries.
On September 27, 30 more strikes happened around the world.
The Global Climate Strike began in Australia. On September 20, organizers said more than 300,000 people attended 100 events across the country. Over 2,500 businesses let workers join the strikes or closed for the day. In Melbourne, about 100,000 people participated. In Sydney, 80,000 people gathered at The Domain. In Brisbane, 30,000 people joined, and other cities had smaller groups.
Australian protesters asked the government to use 100% renewable energy by 2030, stop new fossil fuel projects, and help workers in the fossil fuel industry find new jobs. Australia is a major exporter of coal and natural gas. Protesters also wanted to stop the Adani-Carmichael coal mine in Queensland, which has caused political disagreements since 2014.
At Bondi Beach, activists cleaned up cigarette butts and plastic from the sand.
Protesters in Sydney on September 20, 2019.
Protesters in Alice Springs.
In Austria, about 150,000 students marched on September 27 as part of the climate strike. In Vienna and other areas, the demonstrations were considered school events.
In Dhaka, thousands of students formed a human chain to urge world leaders to act on climate change.
In Minsk, one person from Belarus Young Greens, Veronica Yanovich, held a sign and marched alone. This event got attention from the media in Belarus.
In Brussels, about 15,000 people joined the global protest. Some schools made the protest a school activity to encourage students to participate without punishing them.
In Bolivia, students from La Paz and Cochabamba marched together to demand action from leaders to protect the environment. In La Paz, they walked through Paseo del Prado and formed a human carpet. They spoke about a fire in Chiquitania and asked leaders to stop laws that allow cutting down forests. Students from the University of San Simón in Cochabamba marched to stop environmental damage in Chiquitania.
In Sarajevo, Bosnia’s capital, protests happened near the Eternal Fire memorial. Other cities in Bosnia also held demonstrations.
In Brazil, 48 protests were planned. Thousands of people in cities like Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Brasília joined to urge the government to stop deforestation and wildfires in the Amazon rainforest.
In Bulgaria, three climate strike events were held. One took place in Sofia, the capital, starting at the National Palace of Culture. Another was in Varna near the Sea Garden, and a third was in Samokov at Zahari Zograf Square.
In Bujumbura, 35 activists cleaned up trash along Lake Tanganyika.
In Canada, climate strikes began on September 20 with "die-in" protests in Vancouver and other cities. A "die-in" is a protest where people lie on the ground to show how serious the problem is. More demonstrations happened on September 27 when Greta Thunberg arrived in Montreal. In Montreal, the city’s largest school board let 114,000 students skip classes to join the protest. In Toronto, teachers were told not to give tests or assignments on that day. Students under 18 needed permission from their parents to join.
On September 27, at least 85 Canadian cities and towns took part in climate strikes. In Vancouver, more than 100,000 people joined a demonstration, and 20,000 were in Victoria. In Montreal, organizers said 500,000 people attended the march, though city officials first estimated the number to be around 315,000. In Ottawa, crowds were larger than on Canada Day. In Halifax, more than 10,000 people marched. In Edmonton, thousands gathered near the provincial legislature but did not criticize the fossil fuel industry. Montreal’s mayor, Valérie Plante, made public transit free on the day of the protest and gave Greta Thunberg the keys to the city. She also shared a map to help people avoid construction work and find bus routes affected by the march.
In Canada, political leaders from different parties, including Yves-François Blanchet of the Bloc Québécois, Elizabeth May of the Green Party, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of the Liberal Party, joined the protests in Montreal. Jagmeet Singh of the New Democratic Party participated in a protest in Victoria. These events helped people talk about climate policy during the 2019 federal election. Prime Minister Trudeau promised to plant two billion trees in ten years if re-elected, using money from the Trans Mountain Pipeline project. He also met with Greta Thunberg.