In Pictures: Millions Join Global Strike 4 Climate Change Action

Riyaz Patel

Millions of children across the world, including thousands of South African students, are taking part is what is set to be the largest global climate action protests in history.

Students have heeded the rallying cry of fellow teen activist Greta Thunberg in a collective call to action.

They are demanding politicians and businesses take drastic action to stop global warming, which scientists warn will lead to environmental catastrophe should current trends continue.

The day of protests is already eclipsing crowd numbers seen in strikes last May and will culminate in New York, where 1.1 million students in around 1,800 public schools have been permitted to skip school.

Thousands of students rallying in cities and towns across SA as part of the global climate strike in the third such strike organised by South Africa school students.

They are being supported and joined by a wide range of adult organisations including trade unions, faith based organisations, environmental activist groups, and other non- government organisations. 

A Youth Climate Summit will take place at the United Nations tomorrow.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will then host an  emergency summit on Monday in which he will urge world leaders to raise their commitments made in the 2015 Paris climate accord.

The agreement saw countries pledge to limit the long-term rise in the average temperature of the Earth to two degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels, and if possible, to 1.5 C.

The scientific report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will be put to a gathering of experts from 195 countries meeting in Morocco from Friday.

A landmark UN report to be unveiled next week will warn that global warming and pollution are ravaging Earth’s oceans and icy regions in ways that could unleash misery on a global scale.