Edinburgh pupils can skip school for climate change protest at Scottish Parliament today

The protest will take place at the Scottish Parliament.

Hundreds of school pupils are expected to strike for climate action outside the Scottish Parliament today as part of a second global youth strike for climate in 18 locations around Scotland.

Strikes will gather outside schools, in the centre of towns and outside government buildings between 11am and 2pm.

In Edinburgh, children will be marching from their schools to meet outside the Scottish Parliament and have been told they won’t be reprimanded for truancy.

Each location expects more than 400 people to attend.

This is the second global youth strike, with the first one taking place on February 15, 2019. In Glasgow, over 300 people gathered in George Square, with similar numbers striking outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh. Across the UK, organisers Youth Strike 4 Climate said protests took place in more than 60 towns and cities, with an estimated 15,000 taking part.

In the wake of the October 2018 climate report, 15-year-old Swedish student Greta Thunberg put climate change firmly in the spotlight by striking from school to sit outside the country’s parliament, kick-starting the movement in the process.