?People join the global "Fridays for Future" initiative in Prague, capital of the Czech Republic, on March 15, 2019. Hundreds of students gathered here on Friday to join the global "Fridays for Future" initiative, calling on politicians to tackle the effects of climate change. (Xinhua/Dana Kesnerova)
PRAGUE, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of students gathered here on Friday to join the global "Fridays for Future" initiative, calling on politicians to tackle the effects of climate change.
Holding banners and placards with slogans like "Student strike for climate" and "Save our planet," the students marched through the city centre, warning against politicians' inaction on reducing emissions.
The students said politicians must stop ignoring the obvious effects of climate change and start promoting active measures to tackle it.
"There are thousands of us, we are going to fight for our future and nothing is going to stop us," said an organizer. "If a few kids can do this, imagine what politicians could do with our climate if they really wanted to."
In the Czech Republic, the problems associated with climate change include the lifting of limits on coal mining, exemptions granted to high-emission coal power plants and unsustainable farming practices, said the participants.
Similar protests were also held in other Czech towns, including in Ostrava in north Moravia and Olomouc.
The "Fridays for Future" movement, inspired by young Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, has found resonance with students around the world. This Friday's global event is understood to be the largest to date.
