On Friday, kids across the Garden State will skip school for a global cause.

Students in New Jersey, across the United States and around the world have organized “climate strikes” as part of a surging youth effort to push global leaders to take immediate action to address climate change.

The New Jersey students have formed a coalition called the NJ Youth Climate Strike to organize its efforts. The group is calling for world leaders to take steps to slash greenhouse gas emissions in order to keep the planet from warming more than 1.5 degrees celsius by 2030.

The group is also pushing for American politicians to pass the “Green New Deal,” which is a policy proposal being pushed by progressive Democrats aimed at eliminating American greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 while creating new jobs in the process.

According to organizers, each of the New Jersey events is expected to draw between 50 and 100 participants. The climate strikes scheduled for New Jersey include:

Mahwah - 11 a.m. at The Arch at Ramapo College

Montclair - Students at Montclair High School plan to hold a walkout demonstration

Morristown - Noon at Morristown Town Hall

Princeton - 11 a.m. at Hinds Plaza

2 days til we strike don’t forget to make a sign. We are having strikes at Morristown, Princeton, Philadelphia, and Ramapo High school and College. pic.twitter.com/TlH7kV3lP0 — Climate Strike NJ (@NJClimateStrike) March 13, 2019

The movement started last August, when a 15-year-old girl in Sweden named Greta Thunberg began refusing to go to school and instead demonstrated in front of Sweden’s parliament to call attention to climate change after Sweden experienced its hottest summer on record, according to The Guardian.

In December, Greta addressed world policymakers at the United Nations climate summit in Poland. Her speech inspiring other students around the world to take their own action. Last month, the Washington Post profiled Alexandria Villasenor, a New York City student who has spent every Friday since December in front of the United Nations building to protest climate change inaction.

Friday marks the first coordinated, global set of youth climate strikes.

In New Jersey, this is just the latest in a string of recent climate change demonstrations. For two weeks last November, veteran New Jersey activist Ted Glick fasted in protest of Gov. Phil Murphy’s environmental policies. Then last month, a coalition of New Jersey environmental groups formed to urge Murphy to place a moratorium on all fossil fuel projects in the state.

Climate change poses a growing threat around the world. Among other effects of climate change in New Jersey, sea level rise combined with an expected increase in precipitation means the Garden State is expected to have an increase in flooding in years to come.

Michael Sol Warren may be reached at mwarren@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MSolDub. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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