Australians gather for largest global climate protest in history

Australians from across the country gathered on Friday as part of a global climate protests being held around the world.

Students, teachers, activists and people from all walks of life came together for the first rounds of protests in the southern hemisphere kick-off. The Friday protests were started by 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who protested outside the Swedish parliament.

In capital cities around Australia, including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra, Darwin, and Hobart, people prepared signs and chanted slogans in favor of swift climate action. Hundreds of thousands of protesters were expected across the country, with businesses encouraging their staff to take time off to attend.

It is a protest led by the youth, who were out in force at the protests and spoke to Business Insider about their motives for protesting.

“I want to ensure a better world for myself and my future kids,” Steffanie Tan, 22, of Melbourne, said. “If we don’t stand up to our government now, then we might not have a future to look forward to.”

Student Kate McNess, 17, said, “It’s an important issue and it’s our future.” While, 17-year-old student Nishtha Sharma said it was the only way she knew how to speak up. “This is basically the only way to have our voice heard,” she said.

Scroll through to see photos of the crowds and signs from protests around the country.