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Students worldwide skip class to demand action on climate

FILE - In this Friday, Jan. 25, 2019 file photo, climate activist Greta Thunberg delivers her speech during a session of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Three Norwegian lawmakers have on Thursday, March 14 nominated Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg, who has become a prominent voice in campaigns against climate change, for the Nobel Peace Prize. Freddy Andre Oevstegaard and two other members of the Socialist Left Party said they believe "the massive movement Greta has set in motion is a very important peace contribution."(AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, file)

BERLIN — Students in more than 1,000 cities worldwide are planning to skip class Friday to take to the streets in protest over their governments’ failure to act against global warming.

The co-ordinated ‘school strike’ was inspired by 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who began holding solitary demonstrations outside the Swedish parliament last year.

Since then, the protests have snowballed. This week’s rallies are expected to be one of the biggest international actions against climate change yet.

The protests are scheduled in about 100 countries, from New Zealand to the United States.

While some politicians have criticized the students, saying they should be spending their time in school and not on the streets, scientists have backed the protests, with thousands signing petitions in support of the students in Britain, Finland and Germany.

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Frank Jordans, The Associated Press