Youth Climate Strike Rally Organizers Predict 10,000 in Boston

Organizers of a rally in Boston inviting students to skip school and protest about climate change say they might draw 10,000 people Friday..The prediction stems in part from more than 7,000 responses to a Facebook notification, a spokesman for the group organizing the event told State House News Service..Organizers of the event say they draw inspiration from a Swedish teen-ager, Greta Thunberg, who plans to appear with U.S. Senator Ed Markey (D-Malden) at a press conference on Tuesday, September 17..Organizations sponsoring the rally planned for Boston include Sunrise Movement Boston and 350 Massachusetts.."People of all ages and backgrounds are uniting to fight for our most fundamental human rights; the right to clean air, clean water, and the right to a livable future," rally organizers said in a written statement, according to State House News Service..Organizers are calling for what they describe as "transformative action … to address the climate crisis.".In New York City, public school officials have announced there will be no adverse consequences for students who skip school on Friday and attend a related rally there. Some have accused Mayor Bill de Blasio of using the event to try to spark enthusiasm for his faltering longshot run for president..For the Boston rally, expected speakers include Boston native Gina McCarthy, who served as administrator of the federal Environmental Protection Agency from July 2013 to January 2017 under former President Barack Obama..In June 2017, McCarthy joined a private equity firm, Pegasus Capital Advisors, which is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, as an operating advisor in sustainability and wellness, which the firm described as "the two sectors that Pegasus focuses on.".McCarthy is a former head of the state environmental agency in Connecticut. She currently serves as professor of the practice of public health at the T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University..Massachusetts Youth Climate Strike is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. Friday, September 20 at Boston City Hall Plaza, with a march to the Massachusetts State House planned for 1 p.m., followed by a 1:30 p.m. one-hour demonstration at the State House.

Youth Climate Strike Rally Organizers Predict 10,000 in Boston

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