Burlington welcomes Global Climate Strike protesters
'Our health, livelihoods and futures are directly linked to the environment,' says city
A crowd of "climate strike" protesters gathered outside Burlington City Hall Friday morning.
The city is one of thousands of locations across the world where people participating in Global Climate Strike rallies took to the streets, calling for world leaders attending a United Nations Climate Action Summit to adopt measures to combat what organizers call a "climate crisis."
The movement is particularly focused on involving students and young people. It's partly inspired by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, who has staged weekly demonstrations over the past year under the hashtag #FridaysForFuture, calling on world leaders to step up efforts against climate change.
A media release from Burlington said the city welcomed the strike.
"The City of Burlington is taking action where it matters and are targeting city operations be net carbon neutral by 2040," it read. "Our health, livelihoods and futures are directly linked to the environment. Real change requires all of us working in tandem."
Photos from the protest show people of all ages with signs sharing messages like "SCIENCE NOT SILENCE" and "If the Climate Were a Bank It Would Have Been Saved By Now."
with files from the Canadian Press