Global Youth-Led Climate Protests Call for Action in Major Cities

On Friday, activists around the world launched climate protests to coincide with major climate events in New York City. Organized by the youth-led Fridays for Future group, demonstrations were planned in Berlin, Brussels, Rio de Janeiro, and more, urging immediate action against climate change and the unrestrained use of fossil fuels.

Activists geared up Friday for protests around the world to demand action on climate change just as major weeklong climate events began in New York City.

Organized by the youth-led Fridays for Future group, demonstrations were planned in cities including Berlin, Brussels, Rio de Janeiro, and New Delhi. The New York chapter coordinated a march across the Brooklyn Bridge, hoping to draw at least 1,000 participants.

Concurrent with Climate Week NYC and the U.N. General Assembly discussions, these protests aimed at targeting fossil fuel companies, the banks that fund them, and political leaders failing on climate commitments, according to Helen Mancini, a New York organizer.

Youth climate activism traces back to 2018, when Greta Thunberg began her protests in Sweden. Over six years, global carbon emissions have grown, but cleaner energy sources are expanding twice as fast as fossil fuels. Yet, Earth continues to warm, with recent years being the hottest on record.