All over the world, schools and workplaces were left empty today as millions of people went on strike for the climate. In Germany alone, 1.4 million people took part in over 400 marches happening across the country.
The global strike day was organized by youth groups in the name of Fridays for Future, the environmental movement inspired by 16-year-old Greta Thunberg. The Swedish activist led the march through Lower Manhattan in New York, which finished at the UN headquarters. The day of strikes comes ahead of the UN Climate Change Summit on the 23 September.
The whole Ecosia team attended the marches in Berlin and Paris. We have a Climate Leave Policy, which allows us to participate in climate activism within work hours. A staggering 270,000-strong crowd assembled in front of Brandenburg Gate to demand fast action from our politicians. We chanted ”Wir sind hier, wir sind laut, weil Ihr uns die Zukunft raubt.“ –“We are here and we are loud, because you’re stealing our future”. It's time they started paying attention.
