As per reports, Italy's Education Minister advised students to skip school and take part in the climate protests on Friday, when many people in several nations are expected to take to the streets to protest climate change. The protests are a follow up to a week ago, when millions of young people took part in a global protest inspired by 16-year-old climate change activist Greta Thunberg.

READ | Italy To Take In 182 Migrants From Humanitarian Ship At Sicily

'Consider absence justified'

Reportedly, the Italian Education Minister Lorenzo Fioramonti wrote on Facebook that he has asked schools to consider the absence of students who take part in the global mass movement against climate change a justifiable absence.

The Minister said that the climate strike is important for student's future which was in danger due to environmental degradation and unsustainable economic growth model. Italy is slated to strike on September 27 along with other nations like Netherlands, Canada, Spain, and Portugal.

Lorenzo Fioramonti is a former economics professor who has written several books stating how the gross domestic product should not be the main measure of a country's economic prosperity. He is a member of the anti-establishment and environmental 5-Star movement who has called for new fines on plane tickets in order to increase funding for education and reduce emissions. After the new government of 5-Star and the centre-left Democratic Party was sworn in this month, he threatened to submit his resignation if it (government) did not agree to spend more on education.

READ | Netherlands Reinforces Major Dike Amidst Sea Rise

READ | Boris Johnson Pledges £1.2B To Fight Climate Change, Ahead Of UN Summit

Recent developments

On September 23, the United Nations Climate Summit came to a close even as climate protest movement which is lead by Thunberg gains ground globally.  A week ago, millions of young people took part in a global protest inspired by the 16-year-old climate change activist. Reportedly, Germany has announced a climate package of 50 billion euros or $54.93 billion for protection of the climate.

The Italian Prime Minister has said that his country is willing to play a leading role in the transformation to a green economy restating his government's commitment to bring incentives against pollution generating emissions in the 2020 budget. 

READ | Climate Change, Heat Wave Puts Pacific Ocean's Hawaii Coral In Danger

READ | Japan's Environment Minister Koizumi: Make Climate Change Fight 'sexy'

(With inputs from agencies)