(ANSA-AP) - BERLIN, 15 MAR - Students in more than 1,000 cities worldwide are planning to skip class Friday to take to the streets in protest over their governments' failure to act against global warming. The coordinated 'school strike' was inspired by 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who began holding solitary demonstrations outside the Swedish parliament last year. Since then, the protests have snowballed. This week's rallies are expected to be one of the biggest international actions against climate change yet. The protests are scheduled in about 100 countries, from New Zealand to the United States. While some politicians have criticized the students, saying they should be spending their time in school and not on the streets, scientists have backed the protests, with thousands signing petitions in support of the students in Britain, Finland and Germany. Luisa Neubauer, one of the Berlin group organizing Fridays for Future, said politicians should take note of the young. "For the European elections in May, we're urging everyone to th ink about whether they want to give their vote to a party that doesn't have a plan for the future and the climate," she said. (ANSA-AP).