Science

Today's global climate strike has begun: Start times, locations, how to get involved

Where and when to join protests demanding action on climate change this Friday, Sept. 20.

Jackson Ryan Former Science Editor

Jackson Ryan was CNET's science editor, and a multiple award-winning one at that. Earlier, he'd been a scientist, but he realized he wasn't very happy sitting at a lab bench all day. Science writing, he realized, was the best job in the world -- it let him tell stories about space, the planet, climate change and the people working at the frontiers of human knowledge. He also owns a lot of ugly Christmas sweaters.

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Jackson Ryan

Sept. 20, 2019 1:38 a.m. PT

3 min read

20190920-124846 — Climate strike protestors in Sydney.
Jackson Ryan / CNET

The Global Climate Strike has begun, and not a moment too soon because the planet is in a bad way. The Arctic has been burning and fires still rage in the Amazon rainforest. Iceland recently held a funeral for a 700-year-old glacier that was lost to the increasing heat. One million species are threatened with extinction and some have already been lost. Birds are dying in the billions across North America. We are living in an emergency -- and the kids are absolutely not alright. This September, students and adults are joining together in global strikes to demand action on climate change.

If you want to know the what, when and where of the September Global Climate Strikes, we have you covered.

Global Climate Strike protesters rise up in Sydney

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What is the Climate Strike?

When Greta Thunberg, a Swedish school student, sat in front of the Swedish parliament building with her hand-painted "Skolstrejk för klimatet" sign, she kick-started a worldwide movement. It wasn't the first time school kids had walked out of school to demand change, but Thunberg's one-person strike on the steps of parliament drew global attention. On Fridays leading up to the 2018 Swedish election, she'd miss class to protest, sign in hand.

greta-strike — Greta Thunberg leads the Fridays for Future Rally.
Ernesto Rucio/Getty

Thunberg has become the face of the new movement, inspiring students across the world to leave school and demand action on climate change. In March, students took to the streets in over 2,000 cities asking adults to take responsibility for the climate crisis. Smaller strikes occurred in May, June and August.

This series of strikes is set to be the biggest yet and will see students and adults walk out of their schools and workplaces to "demand an end to the age of fossil fuels."

When is the Climate Strike?

The upcoming strikes will take place on two successive Fridays designed to coincide with an emergency climate action summit being held at the United Nations in New York beginning on Sept. 23.

On Sept. 20 and Sept. 27, thousands of climate strikes will take place in cities across the world. Thunberg herself will be attending the climate strike in New York on Sept. 20, but no matter where you are across the world, a climate strike is likely within your vicinity.

Where can I join a strike?

A massive number of strikes are registered on the Global Climate Strike website, so that's a great place to start if you're seeking a nearby climate strike to attend. The locations of major strikes occurring across the US, UK and Australia are listed below. All times are local.

US East

New York City: 12 p.m. @ Foley Square , 1 Federal Plaza
Boston: 11:30 a.m. @ Boston City Hall Plaza, 1 City Hall Square
Chicago: 11 a.m. @ Grant Park, 337 E Randolph St
Philadelphia: 12 p.m. @ Philadelphia City Hall, 1400 John F Kennedy Blvd
Washington D.C.: 11 a.m. @ John Marshall Park, marching to Capitol Hill

US West

Los Angeles: 12 p.m. @ Pershing Square, 532 South Olive Street
San Francisco: 9 a.m. @ Nancy Pelosi's office, San Francisco Federal Building, 90 7th St
Seattle: 9 a.m. @ Cal Anderson Park, 1635 11th Ave
Portland: 10:30 a.m. @ Portland City Hall, 1221 SW 4th Avenue

UK

The UK Student Climate Network has a handy "Find a strike" feature on its website, you just need to throw your postcode in and a list of events will appear. The major strike will occur in London and will begin near the Palace of Westminster, along the River Thames. Many marches and rallies will take place across the city.