LONDON — Thousands of young people in Britain are expected to abandon their classrooms and take to the streets on Friday to join a growing movement to protest the lack of action on climate change.

Inspired by a 16-year-old Swedish climate activist, Greta Thunberg, who cut class on a weekly basis last year to stage sit-ins outside Sweden’s Parliament, young climate campaigners are planning to walk out of British schools, colleges and universities across 40 towns and cities on Friday.

“I’ve always had a strong fascination with the environment, and I’ve always been aware of climate change and sustainable living, but when I saw thousands of kids around the world striking for the cause it inspired me to start my own,” said Anna Taylor, 17, a co-founder of the UK Student Climate Network, which is coordinating the strikes.

The global movement, known as the Youth Strike 4 Climate, gained momentum last October following the publication of a landmark report from the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warning that humanity had just 12 years to avert the consequences of catastrophic climate change, with worsening food shortages, rising sea levels, floods and wildfires.