#FridaysForFuture is the student and adult-led movement that protests outside parliaments and town halls around the world

Fridays For Future. Young people have set aside a day to defend the planet tirelessly. “The climate crisis doesn’t go on holiday”, their website states. The #FridaysForFuture movement was born in August last year and has spread around the world through social media, inviting teenagers from around the world to join their cause: to demand that governments act against climate change.

It is a student movement calling for action against global warming and the largest statement for climate protection in history. Every Friday, dozens of people from this group protest peacefully outside their parliaments and local councils all over the world.

This is the 45th week of strikes, which have been replicated in 97 countries and 767 cities; far above average (500 in April and 200 in February). The strikers, as they are called, estimate that these figures will continue to increase as the number of participants increases to one million.

 

Origins

The movement was started by 15-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who, months ago, launched her personal crusade against this environmental problem by demonstrating every Friday outside her country’s parliament. The teenager decided to publish all her actions on Instagram and Twitter and, in the blink of an eye, the movement became viral. So much so, that the demonstration was copied in other cities.

Eventually, her protest reached the United Nations during COP24, the Katowice conference, when she recorded a message on social media. «Climate change is a very important issue, and nobody is doing anything». The young woman’s demand is based on Swedish policies providing a safe roadmap below 2°C, i.e. in line with the Paris agreement.