Youth activists protest to demand action on climate as big events open in NYC

New York: Activists geared up Friday for protests around the world to demand action on climate change just as a pair of major weeklong climate events...

New York: Activists geared up Friday for protests around the world to demand action on climate change just as a pair of major weeklong climate events were getting underway in New York City.

The actions in Berlin, Brussels, Rio de Janeiro, New Delhi and many other cities were being organized by the youth-led group Fridays for Future, and included the group's New York chapter, which planned a march across the Brooklyn Bridge followed by a rally that organizers hoped would attract at least 1,000 people.

More protests were planned Saturday and Sunday.

New York is hosting Climate Week NYC, an annual event that promotes climate action, at the same time the U.N. General Assembly takes up the issue on several fronts, including raising trillions of dollars to aid poorer countries suffering the most from climate change.

In Berlin, dozens of people took to the streets although in fewer numbers than in previous years. Activists held up signs saying "Save the Climate” and "Coal is Over!” as they watched a gig put on outside the German Chancellor's Office.