Midwest youth stage Global Climate Strike

Thousands of young people from across the Midwest are expected to converge on Chicago's Loop Friday afternoon for the Global Climate Strike, which is being led by Fridays for Future Chicago.

Why it matters: Climate-strike activists celebrated unprecedented environmental gains under President Biden for four years. But this year, they are marching under a cloud of setbacks imposed by the Trump administration.

What they're saying: "Though there have been cutbacks on green initiatives and funding, it is imperative that we act now more than ever because we are not powerless. With the recent setbacks … it is important that the local and state government steps up to fill those gaps," FFF Chicago leaders said in a statement.

The other side: "President Trump campaigned on dismantling the Green New Scam and ending the disastrous regulations and mandates supported by the radical climate change lobby in our country," deputy press secretary Harrison Fields told Axios.

Backstory: The FFF coalition formed in 2018 when activist Greta Thunberg staged a three-week sit-in at the Swedish Parliament to protest climate inaction, and it has spread to millions of young people worldwide.

The latest: Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday to stop enforcing state and local climate laws.

In response, Gov. JB Pritzker, in a joint statement with other leaders of climate coalition American Is All In, called it "an attempt to threaten the constitutionally protected authority of state and local governments to protect their residents through strong environmental and climate policies."

• "We stand firmly with governors, mayors and local leaders who are taking bold, locally driven climate action to protect public health, grow our economy and benefit all communities."

What's next: The march starts at 4pm at Daley Plaza.