Australian protesters turn out in force to kick off global 'climate strike' ahead of U.N. summit

Climate strike in Sydney, Australia — (Image credit: Brook Mitchell/Getty Images)

Millions of protesters around the world are expected to participate in Friday's "global climate strike," a series of rallies urging governments to back measures to combat climate change ahead of a United Nations summit in New York. Large crowds turned out in Australia to kick off the day of youth-led protests, inspired in part by the "Fridays for Future" demonstrations by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg. The estimated 300,000 protesters at 100 rallies in Australia — including 100,000 in Melbourne and 80,000 in Sydney — would make it the biggest protest in Australia since the Iraq War in 2003.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.