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How a 16-yr-old set a new climate for change

Youth Climate Summit set to take place at the United Nations today.

Bengaluru: The 'Fridays for Future (FFF)' movement started by 16-year-old Swedish student Greta Thunberg in 2018 in front of the Swedish parliament against government inaction on climate change took on a life of its own as vast crowds of children across the world, skipped school Friday to join a global strike against climate change, heeding the rallying cry of teen activist Greta Thunberg and demanding adults act to stop environmental disaster.

In the biggest protest ever against the threat posed to the planet by climate change, children and adults, yelling slogans and waving placards,across Asia and the Pacific kicked off the protest, which spread later to Africa and Europe with huge crowds filling the streets.

"We are the future. We are schoolchildren and we are not going to school," said Vihaan Agarwal, 15, protesting in Delhi. "We believe there is no point in going to school if we are not going to have a future to live in."

India is not far behind with many schools in Delhi and Amchi Mumbai joining the massive movement. In Australia alone, they said more than 300,000 children, parents and supporters rallied.

"Stop climate change now", "There is no planet B", "Wake up!" read some of the signs brandished by demonstrators in a trendy central shopping district of Tokyo. "We adults caused this planet emergency," said one of them, Chika Maruta, 32, marching with her colleagues from a cosmetics company. The strike will culminate in New York with 1.1 million children from 1800 public schools skipping school for the movement.

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