On 20 August 2018 , the Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg , then in the ninth grade , decided to not attend school until the 2018 Sweden general election on 9 September after heat waves and wildfires in Sweden . She has said she was inspired by the teen activists at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland , Florida , who had organised the March for Our Lives . Thunberg protested by sitting outside the Riksdag every day during school hours with a sign that read " " ( " school strike for the climate " ) . Among her demands were that the Swedish government reduce carbon emissions per the Paris Agreement . On 7 September , just before the general elections , she announced that she would continue to strike every Friday until Sweden aligns with the Paris Agreement . She coined the slogan FridaysForFuture , which gained worldwide attention . She inspired school students across the globe to take part in student strikes
wildfires
2018 Sweden wildfires
School strike for climate