Pupils from around the UK went "on strike" on Friday as part of a global campaign for action on climate change. Students around the country walked out of schools to call on the government to declare a climate emergency and take active steps to tackle the problem. Organisers Youth Strike 4 Climate said protests took place in more than 60 towns and cities, with an estimated 15,000 taking part. They carried placards, some reading: "There is no planet B."
The action was part of a much wider global movement, known as Schools 4 Climate Action. It began with 15-year-old Swede Greta Thunberg skipping class to sit outside government buildings in September, accusing her country of not following the Paris Climate Agreement.
Since then, tens of thousands of children across Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland and Australia have been inspired to hold their own demonstrations. The biggest protests were held in London, Brighton, Oxford and Exeter, the UK Student Climate Network said. Greta tweeted about the UK protests, writing: "British PM says that the children on school strike are 'wasting lesson time'. That may well be the case. But then again, political leaders have wasted 30 yrs of inaction. And that is slightly worse."
