Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

2019 is the year of the ‘climate strike’

2019 is the year of the ‘climate strike’

“Climate strike” has been crowned word of the year by Collins Dictionary. The term, which refers to people leaving work or school as a way to demand action on climate change, was used 100 times more often in 2019 compared to last year, Collins’ lexicographers found. The company says that they monitor a 9.5 billion-word body of text each year to identify “new and notable” words that reflect big shifts in culture.

Massive protests across the globe over the past year reflect people’s growing sense of urgency to take action on climate change. Around this time last year, a panel of scientists convened by the United Nations released a report that found that the world had 12 years left (11 now) to dramatically cut down its use of fossil fuels in order to avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change. For many, increasingly more destructive wildfire and hurricane seasons have made the risks associated with climate change hit much closer to home.

About 1.6 million students walked out of classrooms in a coordinated day of strikes across more than 120 countries in March. Eighteen-year-old Audrey Lai talked with The Verge during a demonstration that day about the previous year’s devastating fires in California; she was worried about a repeat. “It’s going to become fire season instead of fall,” she said. “Isn’t there something we should be doing?”

One of the heroines behind the popularity of climate strikes is 16-year-old Greta Thunberg, who began weekly walkouts in Sweden in 2018. Her high-profile protests outside of Swedish parliament catapulted her into the spotlight, and she was a rumored candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize this year. She didn’t end up with that prestigious award, but she did announce the word of the year win on Twitter.


Global protests flared up again in September, ahead of a United Nations summit in New York. Tech workers across giants like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft walked out of headquarters to support protests even as CEOs like Jeff Bezos announced new pledges to make business more sustainable.

“I’m joining in the climate strike because every big structural change in history has come [because] of a grassroots insurgence,” 17-year-old Felíquan Charlemagne told The Verge at the time. “The climate strike movement, a grassroots, decentralized movement, has the power to change conversations and force leadership to deliver the bold climate solutions we need to not only stop climate change, but build a better world and economy for us all.”

The following month, hundreds of activists were arrested during what they called a “global climate rebellion.” The group behind it, called Extinction Rebellion, began in the UK and has literally bled into major cities across the world. They sprayed the Westminster Treasury with fake blood and then doused the iconic Wall Street bull with it during acts of civil disobedience this October.

This year’s climate strikes aren’t over yet; there are more protests planned ahead of the annual United Nations climate conference taking place in Madrid this December. Collins lexicographers pinpoint the origin of the term “climate strike” to demonstrations surrounding the same conference in France in 2015, when world leaders adopted the Paris climate accord.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
×