Youth strike for climate: Thousands of eco protesters gather worldwide in mass day of action

Young eco activists gathered in London as the latest school strike for climate action took part worldwide today.

Huge crowds congregated in capital cities globally with England's capital no exception, as hundreds took part in Parliament Square.

The movement, led by teenage campaigner Greta Thunberg, saw thousands involved in what is believed to be its largest call to action to date.

Ms Thunberg, 16, began the action in her home country of Sweden and led protests there on Friday.

The movement sees youths stay away from school, generally on Fridays, and instead call upon governments to enact policies to halt the onset of climate change.

On Friday children from around 100 countries took part and there was expected to be more than one million involved in total.

They joined large cohorts in around 60 towns and cities across the UK.

Groups shared their actions alongside the hashtags of “Fridays for future” and “school strike 4 climate”.

Some chanted: “We want change – listen to the youth.”

Caroline Lucas, co-leader of the Green Party, said the strikes appeared to be “growing bigger and louder”.

Commenting on protesters she saw in Brighton, she tweeted: “Their moral authority in making case that older generation is destroying their future can only be answered by urgent climate action.

“Declaring an emergency isn’t enough - we need action now.”

While her Green Party colleague MP Gareth Hughes shared a picture of protesters and wrote: "They may not be able to vote but they are leading on the climate emergency."

Ahead of the protests, Anna Taylor of the UK Student Climate Network said the action was aimed to send a "clear message.

“Young people in the UK are sending those in power a clear message: we won't accept anything less than urgent climate action," she said.

"Our futures, the health of our environment and the lives of those around the world already suffering the devastation of the climate crisis are not up for debate. We need [leaders] to act to protect people and the planet."