climate program kids
A young girl sits on a man's shoulders during the Sydney protest on Friday. She held a sign which read: 'There is no planet B'
More than 300,000 people have flocked to climate change rallies in 110 towns and cities across Australia, calling for governments and businesses to act immediately.

The Global Strike 4 Climate, held across the world on Friday, was the biggest climate mobilisation in Australia's history, with more than double the turnout of the March protest.

A whopping 100,000 protesters flooded the streets in Melbourne, while Sydney saw 80,000 people march through the CBD to the Domain.

Protesters were demanding a target of net zero carbon emissions by 2030 and a transition to 100 per cent renewable energy.

Brisbane welcomed 30,000 protesters fighting for change, while Adelaide and Hobart tallied crowds of 20,000. According to organisers of the event, Canberra saw 15,000 protesters and Perth hosted 10,000.


As the sea of people made their way to the event in Sydney at midday, some school students on scooters could be seen heading in the opposite direction - appearing disinterested in the event.

A group of 14-year-old boys straggling at the back of the crowd near the Domain told Daily Mail Australia they weren't interested in the protest. They said they were just happy to be out of the class room.

One of the boys said they were going to go to Subway for lunch as they were hungry.

When asked why they came out for the event one replied: 'I just wanted the day off school'.

'A lot of our friends said they were coming so we thought we should come too.'


Comment: These were probably the smartest kids at the protest.


However, there were hundreds of young people proving their dedication to the cause as they carried artistic placards they had made the night before, which read: 'Time is almost up' and 'There is no Planet B'.

Others could be seen scribbling their signs on old pieces of cardboard on the footpath as they waited for the event to begin.

One girl Daily Mail Australia spoke to had taken a two hour bus from the Central Coast to make it to the event.

'I'm here because I'm afraid for my future. I don't want to have kids and them to face the same problem,' the 14-year-old said.

Another group of about 10 girls, aged 15, had taken the afternoon off of school to attend the demonstration.

They said their teachers had encouraged them to attend the event but admitted their principal wasn't as supportive.

'We had to get our parents to sign a permission slip to be able to come,' one girl said.

'We want to make a difference. It's our future. Yes, education is important but if there's no future then there's no point in getting an education.'

'This is way more important than school,' another girl said.

In the heart of Sydney, police were spotted wrestling with a man holding a plastic bag of rubbish as protesting onlookers watched on in horror.

One elderly woman was left sprawled on the ground in pain as officers arrested the man and dragged him away from the crowd punching and screaming.

Daniel, 15, from Fort Street High School in Sydney said young people 'are demanding more than they're being offered'.

'Seeing how many young people are coming out, I think the current politicians we've got might not stay in power for so long anymore, with with a new voting base coming in,' he said.

Asked about those who have criticised students for protesting, he said: 'They shouldn't be commenting on this when we're the ones being affected'.

Bridget, 12, from Chevalier College in the NSW Southern Highlands, had a message for the country's politicians: 'Don't be a fossil fool'.

'I'm concerned about this because I kind of want a future,' she said.

'They didn't do anything when they were kids so they left it all up to us to fix.'

One of the protesters included a man dressed as a yeti, holding a sign saying: 'Wake up humans you're endangered too'.

Acting Prime Minister Michael McCormack said students should be in school as it was 'just a disruption'.

'I think these sorts of rallies should be held on a weekend where it doesn't actually disrupt business, it doesn't disrupt schools, it doesn't disrupt universities,' Mr McCormack told reporters in Melbourne.

'I think it is just a disruption.'

The strike is the latest in a worldwide movement started in August 2018 when 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg began protesting outside Sweden's parliament on school days.

She'll participate in the UN's youth climate forum on Saturday and address world leaders at the UN secretary-general's climate summit on September 23.

Ms Thunberg is currently in the US after taking a yacht across the Atlantic to prevent carbon emissions, and urged US lawmakers to 'listen to the scientists'.

The next global strike is scheduled for September 27.
Schoolgirl fails crucial maths exam to attend climate change rally:

Perth high school student Siobhan Sutton, 15, will receive zero for an exam she chose to miss.

Her exam was worth 25 per cent of her final grade but she thought the march was more important and joined the hundreds of other students across the country instead.

She has the support of her mother, however, she claims the selective Perth Modern School she attends will not allow her to reschedule the test.

'I have basically been told that because it is not a valid reason to be missing school, it is not a medical reason or anything, I am going to get a zero on the test if I don't actually sit it,' Siobhan told the ABC.

She said her maths teacher gave her the option to site the test before school on Friday but she could not as it conflicted with her duties as a protest organiser.

Siobhan's mother Antje said she is proud of her daughter.

'You have to get your priorities right. It is regrettable that she is going to get a zero [on the test], but it is more important to be involved in the action that could make a difference to her future.' she said.