global warming
Millions of people join the environmental strike led by schoolchildren across the world
Millions of people around the world held a global climate strike on Friday, inspired by activist Greta
Thunberg.
Protesters across continents waved placards and chanted slogans in what could be the biggest ever demonstration over
global warming caused by humans.
"Our house is on fire", Ms Thunberg said at a rally. "We will not just stand aside and watch."
The day began in the Pacific and Asia and culminated in a massive demonstration in New York.
It comes ahead of a UN summit next week at the organisation's headquarters in Manhattan. Activists are demanding
greater efforts be made at the meeting to tackle climate change.
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Ms Thunberg first started skipping school to protests against inaction on climate change in 2018.
Her actions have inspired schoolchildren and adults around the world to take up the fight.
In Australia, 350,000 people are thought to have joined protests across the country, with some local authorities
encouraging school children and workers to take part.
The country is already suffering from soaring temperatures, and warming seas have contributed to the death of half the
Great Barrier Reef off Australia's north-east coast.
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From there, demonstrations spread to cities in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas.
Students in Ghana marched in the capital Accra, saying climate change has sped up coastal erosion which is affecting
people on the country's coast. About 44% of the population of Ghana have not heard of climate change, one study
by Afrobarometer suggests.
People in Thailand and India staged "die-ins", falling to the ground and feigning death to demand greater government
action.
Further climate strikes are expected next week during the UN summit.
"This is the biggest climate strike ever in history, and we all should be so proud of ourselves because we have done
this together," the teenager told demonstrators.
Ms Thunberg said about four million people took part in the strike around the world, "and we're still counting."
"This is an emergency. Our house is on fire. And it's not just the young people's house, we all live here - it affects all
of us," she told the crowd.
Image copyrightREUTERS
Wherever she has gone in the world, she said, "the empty promises are the same, the lies are the same and the inaction
is the same".
The eyes of the world will be on leaders at the UN next week, and "they have a chance to take leadership to prove they
actually hear us".
"This is what people power looks like," she said, before ending the speech with a word for those "who feel threatened
by us".
"This is only the beginning," she said. "Change is coming whether they like it or not."
Her actions have inspired other schoolchildren and adults around the world, and she has been nominated for the Nobel
Peace Prize.
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The 16-year-old travelled to the US by boat in August, refusing to fly or take a cruise ship due to the emissions
those modes of transport cause.
Ahead of her address to the UN next week, Ms Thunberg told US politicians they must do more to combat climate
change.
"Don't invite us here to just tell us how inspiring we are without actually doing anything about it," she said.