Swedish and German media have been calling the mass engagement on climate issues “the Greta Thunberg effect” after the 16-year-old who began to strike from school last August.
Since the start of the autumn term, she has spent each Friday outside the Swedish parliament in Stockholm, and ever since the first few days she has been joined by other students, teachers and those concerned about the climate.
READ ALSO: 'I want you to panic': Swedish teen raises climate alarm at Davos
Thunberg has inspired thousands of other students to strike from school in countries including the UK, Germany, and Australia.
And Friday's events were planned in almost two thirds of the world's countries, according to Thunberg, who said on Twitter: “The latest update says 2,052 locations in 123 countries on every continent, including Antarctica.”
In Sweden alone, protests were planned in 114 towns and cities.
This week the Swedish teenager was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Norwegian lawmakers.
READ ALSO: The Local's interview with Greta Thunberg
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