Live updates: Global climate strike | CNN

Global climate strike

Jessie Yeung Meg Wagner
By Rob Picheta, Jessie Yeung, Meg Wagner and Fernando Alfonso III, CNN
Updated 7:59 PM EDT, Fri September 20, 2019
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What we covered here

  • Global climate strike: Millions of people worldwide joined marches and climate strikes Friday calling for “climate justice” to be an ethical obligation and not just an environmental issue.
  • Who rallied: Organizers included student groups and teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg. Also in attendance were labor and humanitarian groups and environmental organizations.
  • Where the strikes happened: Roughly 4,638 events were scheduled to take place in 139 countries, according to Thunberg.
  • Our live coverage of the protests has concluded, but you can read more about it below.
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Greta Thunberg: "Why should we study for a future that is being taken away from us?"

From CNN's Laura Ly

Greta Thunberg spoke at the climate strike in New York City Friday, arriving on stage at a rally in Battery Park to cheers of “Greta! Greta!” 

Thunberg began by listing off numbers of participants in the climate strike around the world, stating that at least 250,000 people in New York City joined roughly four million others striking worldwide. CNN has not verified these numbers. 

Watch here:

Meet the students who helped 1.1 million others skip school the right way for the climate strike

From CNN's Melissa Mahtani

New York’s 1.1 million students owe a big thanks to Alexandria Villaseñor and Xiye Bastida who were instrumental in making sure they could attend Friday’s climate strike.

Villaseñor and Bastida were crucial in petitioning the Department of Education (DOE) to allow students to attend the protest without being penalized for missing class.

See the full interview with Bastida and Villaseñor below:

SOON: Activist Greta Thunberg will speak in New York

Activist Greta Thunberg is expected to speak in New York City around 5 p.m. ET, capping off a day of worldwide protests calling for “climate justice.”

Thunberg made headlines after she sailed across the Atlantic in zero-emissions yacht to speak at the UN Climate Action Summit on September 23.

CNN

Aerial photo shows New York's streets flooded with protesters

From CNN's Alisha Ebrahimji

A photo taken from the 22nd floor of a New York City high-rise shows the immense size of the protest calling for “climate justice” to be an ethical obligation and not just an environmental issue.

The photo was taken from 45 Broadway, near Broadway and Exchange Place.

Check out the photo below:

Katie/ @RDlenix

Some of the best protest signs from the climate strike in New York

From CNN's Julia Vargas Jones

CNN reporter Julia Vargas Jones has been on the ground in New York City capturing photos from the protests.

Here are some photos below:

She's "not a morning person" but still got up early to strike in California

From CNN's Alisha Ebrahimji

Laura Copan, a graduate student at Loyola Marymount University, said she went to a smaller, local strike rather than the bigger one in downtown Los Angeles today.

“It made me happy to see that local people care,” she told CNN.

She added: “The protest was peaceful and a great way to start my morning. That says a lot because I’m not a morning person!”

Here’s a look at the rally:

She went to the Austin protest to support young leaders

From CNN's Alisha Ebrahimji

Janet Janssen attended today’s strike in Austin, Texas tat the Texas State Capitol.

She told CNN she wanted to support the young people that are fighting for the future of the planet.

“I’ve seen some of the European cities and amazed so many turned out,” she said. “I think the young people are leading on this issue.”

Janssen said it’s time everyone get involved — and ask elected leaders to do the same.

Here’s what the Austin protest looked like: 

This is the scene in New York City

Students are marching in New York City as part of today’s global climate strike.

The city’s 1.1 million students were allowed to skip school today after the city announced it would not penalize public school students joining the strike — but made it clear that the students did need parental consent.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted he supported the move: “New York City stands with our young people. They’re our conscience.”

Here’s a look at the march in New York City:

Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Climate strikes on the East Coast have started. Here's what they look like.

Student climate strikes in cities across the US’s East Coast have begun. Here’s a look at some of scenes:

Boston:

Philadelphia:

Portland, Maine:

Syracuse, New York:

Elementary school kids are marching to Capitol Hill

From CNN's Rene Marsh and Ali Zaslav
Activists gather in John Marshall Park for the Global Climate Strike protests on September 20, 2019 in Washington, D.C.
Activists gather in John Marshall Park for the Global Climate Strike protests on September 20, 2019 in Washington, D.C.
Samuel Corum/Getty Images

Students — some as young as elementary school-age — have descended on John Marshall Park in Washington, DC.

Many of the students skipped school today despite being told that their absences will be considered unexcused. While some will be excused with a note from their parents, others tell CNN they are willing to accept whatever consequences they receive in order to participate in the worldwide protests. 

Protesters lined up, holding banners that call for action and chanting, “This is what democracy looks like.” 

Organizers say they have been putting this together since mid-July. Some of the children who are suing the government over the issue are at the DC protest. 

The group is expected to march to Capitol Hill.

A group of nuns are joining students for the Washington, DC, rally

From CNN's Gianluca Mezzofiore

A group of nuns gathered in Silver Spring, Maryland, before heading into Washington, DC, for the climate strike.

The Sisters of Mercy of the Americas “are an order of Catholic Nuns that are committed to building a just world for all,” a spokesperson for the group told CNN.

“Caring for Earth is one of our 5 Critical Concerns and we have been inspired as youth around the world have been standing up to take action,” the spokesperson said.

When students arrived at the Maryland event, adults cheered them on. Watch the moment:

Get a bird's-eye view of the climate strike in Hamburg, Germany

Protesters flooded the streets in Hamburg, Germany, today to demand action on the climate crisis.

This video shows what the rally looked like from above:

Uganda protester: "We are rising for our future"

From CNN's Gianluca Mezzofiore

Sadrach Nirere, a coordinator for Friday for Future, Uganda, said it’s time that young people “rise up and add our voices together” as leaders tackle the climate crisis.

“We are rising for our future,” Nirere told CNN.

Schools, universities, local government workers and officials with the farmers association are participating in today’s rally.

Here’s how Nirere described the climate crisis in Uganda:

These are the signs protesters are carrying in Berlin

Student protesters and their allies gathered in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, today.

Many carried signs as they marched. Here’s a look at some of the ones spotted in the crowd:

“There’s no planet B”

Carsten Koall/Getty Images

“In loving memory of Earth”

Maja Hitij/Getty Images

“Too old to care? That’s not fair!”

Maja Hitij/Getty Images

New York City students are waking up — and many aren't going to class

In New York City, 1.1 million pupils will be allowed to skip school on Friday after the city announced it would not penalize public school students joining the strikes, but made it clear that the students did need parental consent.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted he supported the move: “New York City stands with our young people. They’re our conscience.”

Crowds will rally in downtown Manhattan at 12 p.m. ET, where a roster of young climate activists will speak, including Greta Thunberg, who sailed to New York to attend the UN Climate Action Summit.

Here's what the climate strike looks like in India

From CNN's Gianluca Mezzofiore

Pooja Domadia, 29, is a volunteer for Friday For Future, Mumbai, a group that started striking in the Indian city’s public places this year. The group is also protesting today.

He said the atmosphere at today’s protest is “incredible.” Students made posters and are chanting in the streets he said.

Here’s video from the strike:

Students protest on the Pacific islands that are most at risk in the climate crisis

Protests have been taking place on some of the Pacific island nations most under threat from the climate crisis.

The nation of Kiribati may be the first country to disappear under the rising sea levels of climate change. Its people fear their homeland may become the world’s next Atlantis.

Tuvalu is also facing the dire impacts of a changing climate right now.

The country already struggles with the rising sea. Between January and March, its seasonal “king tides” cause severe flooding, and it’s been that way for decades.

Earlier this year, CNN visited Tuvalu to see how locals are coping with climate change.

Last month, Australia thwarted a push by Pacific Island nations for more action on the climate crisis in an emotional forum at which one leader broke down in tears.

Australia, New Zealand and 16 Pacific Island nations held talks at the Pacific Island Forum in the tiny island nation of Tuvalu on Thursday, eventually reaching an agreement after a 12-hour meeting.

But the final declaration was weaker than an earlier agreement by smaller Pacific countries, which called for a rapid phasing out of coal and higher emission reduction targets.

Students rally across the UK: "The kids are giving us a political lesson"

From CNN's Gianluca Mezzofiore

Keara Donnachie, a PR and marketing manager at Scottish Book Trust, told CNN that people in Edinburgh, Scotland, went outside their offices to cheer on the climate change protesters.

“The atmosphere is amazing,” she said. “Lots of music and cheering, ‘climate change has got to go!’ Lots of families too, young ones in prams and others in wheelchairs,” she said.

Meanwhile, Waqas Tufail, a criminology professor, posted a video of Millennium Square in Leeds, England, packed with protesters.

“Climate change is killing the planet, and I’m worried about the future of my children,” he told CNN. “We need to act now, especially governments and corporations who damage the environment the most.”

“The atmosphere is unbelievable, it’s full of young people who are demanding action. It’s inspiring to be here among students, workers, and people young and old from all walks of life,” he said. “We are united in our demands for urgent action to save the planet.”

And in Cambridge, Rodrigo Arteaga, a PhD researcher at Cambridge University, told CNN he and his wife joined Extinction Rebellion UK to demand a Green New Deal and the enforcement of the Paris agreement. “It’s encouraging and empowering seeing all the kids and teens take to the streets and fight for their future,” he said.

“The kids are giving us a political lesson,” Arteaga added.

Indian children send message to leaders

In Mumbai, a group of school children have gathered to make their voices heard.

GO DEEPER
Global climate strikes start Friday. Here’s what you should know
NYC says its 1.1 million students can skip class for the climate strike (as long as their parents say OK)
Greta Thunberg has a suggestion for Congress on how to take real action on the climate crisis
Amazon to buy 100,000 electric vans as part of broader climate pledge

GO DEEPER
Global climate strikes start Friday. Here’s what you should know
NYC says its 1.1 million students can skip class for the climate strike (as long as their parents say OK)
Greta Thunberg has a suggestion for Congress on how to take real action on the climate crisis
Amazon to buy 100,000 electric vans as part of broader climate pledge