Climate protesters move rallies online in wake of Coronavirus outbreak

With Coronavirus outbreak forcing schools and universities to go online, climate change protesters are also following the cue and are conducting their protests on various digital platforms. Fridays for Future, a popular group founded by teenage climate change activist Greta Thunberg, has launched a series of protests to be held online. 

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Greta Thunberg has announced that webinars will take place on Friday online where many "experts and interesting people" will educate young people about the climate change crisis. The decision to conduct webinars was taken in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak as many countries around the world have announced lockdowns and banned public gatherings to prevent the spread of the virus. 

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Greta Thunberg held a rally about climate change two weeks ago in Brussels but since the virus cases escalated in the region the rallies had to be called off. Fridays for Future then moved its weekly school strikes online under the hashtag #ClimateStrikeOnline.

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Coronavirus outbreak

The COVID-19 has claimed more than 11,400 lives across the world and has infected nearly 2,76,000 people globally since it first broke out in December 2019. China is the most affected country in the world as experts believe that the virus originated from a seafood market in Wuhan city, the epicentre of the disease, where animals were reportedly being traded illegally.  

Italy, Iran, and Spain are the most affected countries outside mainland China, where, as of March 20 the combined death toll stands at 6,558. Italy has now surpassed China to record the most number of deaths in the world due to the virus outbreak, while Iran and Spain both crossed the 1,000 mark.

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