SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
School children march down Queen Street during a climate change protest on May 24, 2019 in Auckland, New Zealand. Thousands of students across New Zealand are demonstrating in the streets again to fight for climate change action. (Photo: Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
'Save Our Planet, Save Our Future': Youth Demand Action With Massive Climate Strikes Worldwide
May 24th school strikes said to be biggest yet
May 24, 2019
Over one million young people marched in cities across the globe on Friday in what organizers expected to be the largest #schoolstrikeforclimate actions yet.
With chants including "Save our planet, save our future," and placards with messages such as "Act like the house is on fire," the youth-led actions represented a unified call for urgent and sweeping measures to address the climate crisis.
Organizers said over 1.8 million people took part in over 2,000 actions in 125 countries--a participant figure that, if confirmed, would surpass the massive turnout for the previous coordinated global strikes in March.
\u201cClaudia Sachs kicked off the student climate strike in front of the White House with her original song, \u201cFuture of Humanity.\u201d I am SO inspired by these teenage activists calling for a Green New Deal. Now on to a march to the Capitol.\u201d— Noah Sachs (@Noah Sachs) 1558704799
Images of the actions--from London to New Delhi to Cape Town--were widely shared on social media.
\u201cMy favorite scenes from the Manila #ClimateStrike today \u270a\ud83c\udffd\n\n\u201cStop burning our future\u201d\n\u201cAct like the house is on fire\u201d\n\u201cOur survival is non-negotiable\u201d\n\n#YouthStrike4Climate #SchoolStrike4Climate #FridaysForFurture\u201d— jennytuazon@masto.ai (@jennytuazon@masto.ai) 1558699267
\u201cThe Auckland #ClimateStrike in action. It\u2019s large and it\u2019s loud, and the call is for Govt to #wakeup and get on with real climate action! #SchoolStrike4Climate #FridaysForFurture\u201d— Greenpeace Aotearoa (@Greenpeace Aotearoa) 1558660530
\u201cStreet March- Students Demanding for Climate Action \n#FridaysForFuture \n#AfrikaVuka \n@gifsep4climate @CCL_Africa @350Africa @ConnectedCathy\u201d— #Vote4Climate #CommunityResilience #ClimateIncome (@#Vote4Climate #CommunityResilience #ClimateIncome) 1558697959
\u201c\u0e1e\u0e27\u0e01\u0e40\u0e02\u0e32\u0e40\u0e0a\u0e37\u0e48\u0e2d\u0e27\u0e48\u0e32 \u0e44\u0e21\u0e48\u0e21\u0e35\u0e04\u0e33\u0e27\u0e48\u0e32\u0e2a\u0e32\u0e22\u0e40\u0e01\u0e34\u0e19\u0e44\u0e1b \u0e2b\u0e32\u0e01\u0e40\u0e23\u0e32\u0e40\u0e23\u0e34\u0e48\u0e21\u0e40\u0e1b\u0e25\u0e35\u0e48\u0e22\u0e19\u0e41\u0e1b\u0e25\u0e07\u0e15\u0e31\u0e49\u0e07\u0e41\u0e15\u0e48\u0e27\u0e31\u0e19\u0e19\u0e35\u0e49 \u0e41\u0e25\u0e49\u0e27\u0e04\u0e38\u0e13\u0e25\u0e48\u0e30 \u0e1e\u0e23\u0e49\u0e2d\u0e21\u0e01\u0e31\u0e19\u0e2b\u0e23\u0e37\u0e2d\u0e22\u0e31\u0e07 ?#ClimateStrikeThailand #FridaysForFuture #StrikeForClimate #SchoolStrike4Climate\u201d— Greenpeace Thailand (@Greenpeace Thailand) 1558678087
\u201c\u00ab On est dehors pour notre avenir ! \u00bb \ud83c\udf0d \u270a\n\n\u00c0 Paris, des milliers de personnes de toutes les g\u00e9n\u00e9rations manifestent c\u00f4te \u00e0 c\u00f4te pour demander aux d\u00e9cideurs de prendre des mesures fortes pour r\u00e9pondre \u00e0 l'urgence climatique ! \ud83c\udf21\ufe0f\n\n#GreveMondialePourLeClimat #ClimateStrike\u201d— Greenpeace France (@Greenpeace France) 1558705942
\u201cToday, many people gathered for the global #ClimateStrike in New Delhi, India. \ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf3\nIt's high time now. We are with you @GretaThunberg. We have to save the Planet!\n@BhavreenMK @NDNS_HQ @ErikSolheim @CleanEnergyRen1\u201d— ishaaaan (@ishaaaan) 1558686775
\u201cIt\u2019s great to see another huge #ClimateStrike heading towards the Scottish Parliament. Scotland needs a Green New Deal to transform our economy, cut emissions and create jobs! \ud83d\udc9a\ud83c\udf0d\n\n#YouthStrike4Climate #FridaysForFuture #SchoolStrike4Climate\u201d— Scottish Greens (@Scottish Greens) 1558696732
\u201cMASSIVE! Thousands out in #Berlin. 1623 places, 119 countries, & counting! \n\nYoung people standing up to demand we act on the climate crisis.\nThe house is on fire, act like it.\n\n#ActOnClimate. #FridaysForFuture #ClimateStrike #greennewdeal @GretaThunberg \n\nhttps://t.co/EViV1NU8sR\u201d— Mike Hudema (@Mike Hudema) 1558707297
\u201cDie-in in front of #Cityhall #climateStrike\u201d— Hermelinebrtl (@Hermelinebrtl) 1558714287
Amanda Rodrigues, a junior who co-organized the day's action at Farmington High School in Connecticut, explained her motivation for the mobilization.
"The world is our home, right?" Rodrigues told the Hartford Courant. "So we have to do the best we can to preserve it. If the adults in our politics aren't making a change, then we have to take a stand."
Doing so, said Swedish teen Greta Thunberg, whose picketing outside the Swedish parliament catalyzed the weekly climate strikes, indeed has an impact.
"Activism works," she tweeted ahead of the marches. "So act. Join us!"
Why Your Ongoing Support Is Essential
Donald Trump’s attacks on democracy, justice, and a free press are escalating — putting everything we stand for at risk. We believe a better world is possible, but we can’t get there without your support. Common Dreams stands apart. We answer only to you — our readers, activists, and changemakers — not to billionaires or corporations. Our independence allows us to cover the vital stories that others won’t, spotlighting movements for peace, equality, and human rights. Right now, our work faces unprecedented challenges. Misinformation is spreading, journalists are under attack, and financial pressures are mounting. As a reader-supported, nonprofit newsroom, your support is crucial to keep this journalism alive. Whatever you can give — $10, $25, or $100 — helps us stay strong and responsive when the world needs us most. Together, we’ll continue to build the independent, courageous journalism our movement relies on. Thank you for being part of this community. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Over one million young people marched in cities across the globe on Friday in what organizers expected to be the largest #schoolstrikeforclimate actions yet.
With chants including "Save our planet, save our future," and placards with messages such as "Act like the house is on fire," the youth-led actions represented a unified call for urgent and sweeping measures to address the climate crisis.
Organizers said over 1.8 million people took part in over 2,000 actions in 125 countries--a participant figure that, if confirmed, would surpass the massive turnout for the previous coordinated global strikes in March.
\u201cClaudia Sachs kicked off the student climate strike in front of the White House with her original song, \u201cFuture of Humanity.\u201d I am SO inspired by these teenage activists calling for a Green New Deal. Now on to a march to the Capitol.\u201d— Noah Sachs (@Noah Sachs) 1558704799
Images of the actions--from London to New Delhi to Cape Town--were widely shared on social media.
\u201cMy favorite scenes from the Manila #ClimateStrike today \u270a\ud83c\udffd\n\n\u201cStop burning our future\u201d\n\u201cAct like the house is on fire\u201d\n\u201cOur survival is non-negotiable\u201d\n\n#YouthStrike4Climate #SchoolStrike4Climate #FridaysForFurture\u201d— jennytuazon@masto.ai (@jennytuazon@masto.ai) 1558699267
\u201cThe Auckland #ClimateStrike in action. It\u2019s large and it\u2019s loud, and the call is for Govt to #wakeup and get on with real climate action! #SchoolStrike4Climate #FridaysForFurture\u201d— Greenpeace Aotearoa (@Greenpeace Aotearoa) 1558660530
\u201cStreet March- Students Demanding for Climate Action \n#FridaysForFuture \n#AfrikaVuka \n@gifsep4climate @CCL_Africa @350Africa @ConnectedCathy\u201d— #Vote4Climate #CommunityResilience #ClimateIncome (@#Vote4Climate #CommunityResilience #ClimateIncome) 1558697959
\u201c\u0e1e\u0e27\u0e01\u0e40\u0e02\u0e32\u0e40\u0e0a\u0e37\u0e48\u0e2d\u0e27\u0e48\u0e32 \u0e44\u0e21\u0e48\u0e21\u0e35\u0e04\u0e33\u0e27\u0e48\u0e32\u0e2a\u0e32\u0e22\u0e40\u0e01\u0e34\u0e19\u0e44\u0e1b \u0e2b\u0e32\u0e01\u0e40\u0e23\u0e32\u0e40\u0e23\u0e34\u0e48\u0e21\u0e40\u0e1b\u0e25\u0e35\u0e48\u0e22\u0e19\u0e41\u0e1b\u0e25\u0e07\u0e15\u0e31\u0e49\u0e07\u0e41\u0e15\u0e48\u0e27\u0e31\u0e19\u0e19\u0e35\u0e49 \u0e41\u0e25\u0e49\u0e27\u0e04\u0e38\u0e13\u0e25\u0e48\u0e30 \u0e1e\u0e23\u0e49\u0e2d\u0e21\u0e01\u0e31\u0e19\u0e2b\u0e23\u0e37\u0e2d\u0e22\u0e31\u0e07 ?#ClimateStrikeThailand #FridaysForFuture #StrikeForClimate #SchoolStrike4Climate\u201d— Greenpeace Thailand (@Greenpeace Thailand) 1558678087
\u201c\u00ab On est dehors pour notre avenir ! \u00bb \ud83c\udf0d \u270a\n\n\u00c0 Paris, des milliers de personnes de toutes les g\u00e9n\u00e9rations manifestent c\u00f4te \u00e0 c\u00f4te pour demander aux d\u00e9cideurs de prendre des mesures fortes pour r\u00e9pondre \u00e0 l'urgence climatique ! \ud83c\udf21\ufe0f\n\n#GreveMondialePourLeClimat #ClimateStrike\u201d— Greenpeace France (@Greenpeace France) 1558705942
\u201cToday, many people gathered for the global #ClimateStrike in New Delhi, India. \ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf3\nIt's high time now. We are with you @GretaThunberg. We have to save the Planet!\n@BhavreenMK @NDNS_HQ @ErikSolheim @CleanEnergyRen1\u201d— ishaaaan (@ishaaaan) 1558686775
\u201cIt\u2019s great to see another huge #ClimateStrike heading towards the Scottish Parliament. Scotland needs a Green New Deal to transform our economy, cut emissions and create jobs! \ud83d\udc9a\ud83c\udf0d\n\n#YouthStrike4Climate #FridaysForFuture #SchoolStrike4Climate\u201d— Scottish Greens (@Scottish Greens) 1558696732
\u201cMASSIVE! Thousands out in #Berlin. 1623 places, 119 countries, & counting! \n\nYoung people standing up to demand we act on the climate crisis.\nThe house is on fire, act like it.\n\n#ActOnClimate. #FridaysForFuture #ClimateStrike #greennewdeal @GretaThunberg \n\nhttps://t.co/EViV1NU8sR\u201d— Mike Hudema (@Mike Hudema) 1558707297
\u201cDie-in in front of #Cityhall #climateStrike\u201d— Hermelinebrtl (@Hermelinebrtl) 1558714287
Amanda Rodrigues, a junior who co-organized the day's action at Farmington High School in Connecticut, explained her motivation for the mobilization.
"The world is our home, right?" Rodrigues told the Hartford Courant. "So we have to do the best we can to preserve it. If the adults in our politics aren't making a change, then we have to take a stand."
Doing so, said Swedish teen Greta Thunberg, whose picketing outside the Swedish parliament catalyzed the weekly climate strikes, indeed has an impact.
"Activism works," she tweeted ahead of the marches. "So act. Join us!"
Over one million young people marched in cities across the globe on Friday in what organizers expected to be the largest #schoolstrikeforclimate actions yet.
With chants including "Save our planet, save our future," and placards with messages such as "Act like the house is on fire," the youth-led actions represented a unified call for urgent and sweeping measures to address the climate crisis.
Organizers said over 1.8 million people took part in over 2,000 actions in 125 countries--a participant figure that, if confirmed, would surpass the massive turnout for the previous coordinated global strikes in March.
\u201cClaudia Sachs kicked off the student climate strike in front of the White House with her original song, \u201cFuture of Humanity.\u201d I am SO inspired by these teenage activists calling for a Green New Deal. Now on to a march to the Capitol.\u201d— Noah Sachs (@Noah Sachs) 1558704799
Images of the actions--from London to New Delhi to Cape Town--were widely shared on social media.
\u201cMy favorite scenes from the Manila #ClimateStrike today \u270a\ud83c\udffd\n\n\u201cStop burning our future\u201d\n\u201cAct like the house is on fire\u201d\n\u201cOur survival is non-negotiable\u201d\n\n#YouthStrike4Climate #SchoolStrike4Climate #FridaysForFurture\u201d— jennytuazon@masto.ai (@jennytuazon@masto.ai) 1558699267
\u201cThe Auckland #ClimateStrike in action. It\u2019s large and it\u2019s loud, and the call is for Govt to #wakeup and get on with real climate action! #SchoolStrike4Climate #FridaysForFurture\u201d— Greenpeace Aotearoa (@Greenpeace Aotearoa) 1558660530
\u201cStreet March- Students Demanding for Climate Action \n#FridaysForFuture \n#AfrikaVuka \n@gifsep4climate @CCL_Africa @350Africa @ConnectedCathy\u201d— #Vote4Climate #CommunityResilience #ClimateIncome (@#Vote4Climate #CommunityResilience #ClimateIncome) 1558697959
\u201c\u0e1e\u0e27\u0e01\u0e40\u0e02\u0e32\u0e40\u0e0a\u0e37\u0e48\u0e2d\u0e27\u0e48\u0e32 \u0e44\u0e21\u0e48\u0e21\u0e35\u0e04\u0e33\u0e27\u0e48\u0e32\u0e2a\u0e32\u0e22\u0e40\u0e01\u0e34\u0e19\u0e44\u0e1b \u0e2b\u0e32\u0e01\u0e40\u0e23\u0e32\u0e40\u0e23\u0e34\u0e48\u0e21\u0e40\u0e1b\u0e25\u0e35\u0e48\u0e22\u0e19\u0e41\u0e1b\u0e25\u0e07\u0e15\u0e31\u0e49\u0e07\u0e41\u0e15\u0e48\u0e27\u0e31\u0e19\u0e19\u0e35\u0e49 \u0e41\u0e25\u0e49\u0e27\u0e04\u0e38\u0e13\u0e25\u0e48\u0e30 \u0e1e\u0e23\u0e49\u0e2d\u0e21\u0e01\u0e31\u0e19\u0e2b\u0e23\u0e37\u0e2d\u0e22\u0e31\u0e07 ?#ClimateStrikeThailand #FridaysForFuture #StrikeForClimate #SchoolStrike4Climate\u201d— Greenpeace Thailand (@Greenpeace Thailand) 1558678087
\u201c\u00ab On est dehors pour notre avenir ! \u00bb \ud83c\udf0d \u270a\n\n\u00c0 Paris, des milliers de personnes de toutes les g\u00e9n\u00e9rations manifestent c\u00f4te \u00e0 c\u00f4te pour demander aux d\u00e9cideurs de prendre des mesures fortes pour r\u00e9pondre \u00e0 l'urgence climatique ! \ud83c\udf21\ufe0f\n\n#GreveMondialePourLeClimat #ClimateStrike\u201d— Greenpeace France (@Greenpeace France) 1558705942
\u201cToday, many people gathered for the global #ClimateStrike in New Delhi, India. \ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf3\nIt's high time now. We are with you @GretaThunberg. We have to save the Planet!\n@BhavreenMK @NDNS_HQ @ErikSolheim @CleanEnergyRen1\u201d— ishaaaan (@ishaaaan) 1558686775
\u201cIt\u2019s great to see another huge #ClimateStrike heading towards the Scottish Parliament. Scotland needs a Green New Deal to transform our economy, cut emissions and create jobs! \ud83d\udc9a\ud83c\udf0d\n\n#YouthStrike4Climate #FridaysForFuture #SchoolStrike4Climate\u201d— Scottish Greens (@Scottish Greens) 1558696732
\u201cMASSIVE! Thousands out in #Berlin. 1623 places, 119 countries, & counting! \n\nYoung people standing up to demand we act on the climate crisis.\nThe house is on fire, act like it.\n\n#ActOnClimate. #FridaysForFuture #ClimateStrike #greennewdeal @GretaThunberg \n\nhttps://t.co/EViV1NU8sR\u201d— Mike Hudema (@Mike Hudema) 1558707297
\u201cDie-in in front of #Cityhall #climateStrike\u201d— Hermelinebrtl (@Hermelinebrtl) 1558714287
Amanda Rodrigues, a junior who co-organized the day's action at Farmington High School in Connecticut, explained her motivation for the mobilization.
"The world is our home, right?" Rodrigues told the Hartford Courant. "So we have to do the best we can to preserve it. If the adults in our politics aren't making a change, then we have to take a stand."
Doing so, said Swedish teen Greta Thunberg, whose picketing outside the Swedish parliament catalyzed the weekly climate strikes, indeed has an impact.
"Activism works," she tweeted ahead of the marches. "So act. Join us!"
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.