School Strike 4 Climate: Students rally nationwide to call for urgent action on climate change

Taking action on climate change is a “moral imperative” but Australia can have "an even bigger impact" by helping other nations decarbonise, climate change minister Chris Bowen has told a green energy conference stacked with oil and gas executives.

His comments came as students walked out of classrooms on Friday to demand urgent action on climate change as the country braces for more heatwaves and bushfires this summer.

Addressing the WA Energy Transition Summit in Perth, Mr Bowen said the nation had an "obligation" to the rest of the world, and to future generations, to embrace a greener future. 

But he told the summit, which was attended by representatives of some of the country's biggest resources companies, that obligation may look different in Australia.

"Of course, reducing our domestic emissions is very important," Mr Bowen said.

"But, we can have an even bigger impact by helping the rest of the world decarbonise — and our abundant renewable energy resources and our vital inputs to the clean energy supply chain help us do just that."

Mr Bowen said gas would also still play a key role in maintaining a reliable domestic energy system, and international trade relations, in the transition towards renewable energy.

'Our futures thrown under the bus'

Meanwhile, students took to the streets to call for urgent action on climate change at School Strike 4 Climate rallies held around the country.

They were calling on the government to meet three key demands:

• Net zero by 2030 with no new coal, oil and gas projects
• A transition to 100 per cent public renewable energy generation and exports by 2030
• Funding for a transition and job creation for workers employed by the fossil-fuels industry and their communities. 

While hundreds attended, there was a smaller turnout in Perth, Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne than in previous years.

Students who gathered at Melbourne's Flagstaff Gardens said the federal government was failing on its promise of climate leadership, with the approval of new oil and gas projects. 

Year 10 student Joey, who made a more than 140-kilometre trek to join the rally, called for immediate action from the government.

"[The government is] throwing our future under the bus by approving new coal and gas [projects] in Australia," he said.

"It's time to shift the power away from fossil fuels or else we're going to see more and more bushfires, more and more heatwaves."

Arielle, 14, said urgent action was needed to preserve the planet for future generations.

"If we continue this way, none of us are going to have a future, none of our children are going to have futures," she said.

On cusp of 'climate catastrophe'

More than a hundred young people rallied outside of Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek's office in the inner-Sydney suburb of Redfern.

Dressed in their school uniforms, many voiced their concerns about the federal government's management of climate change, shouting a series of "shame" and "shift the power" slogans towards the minister's office.

School Strike 4 Climate organiser Min Park slammed the government's timeline to stop carbon emissions, insisting it needs to be achieved by 2030.

"Many experts and scientists, there's even research articles up that state 2050 is way too late to prevent the earth warming up by 1.5 per cent … and to prevent the irreversible effects of climate change," the 16-year-old said.

Another rally organiser, Diana, rebuked the criticism that students should be in school and not protesting on the streets.

"If the politicians aren't listening to scientists who have been studying, who have been in school for such a long time, then there's no reason for us to go to school," she said.

A small crowd made their voices heard in Brisbane's CBD to demand action on climate change.

Lucas Blackman was among those who gathered at a park in Perth before the group of about 100 marched to the function centre where the WA Energy Transition Summit was being held.

"I am here to send a message to the government to tell them, 'No more coal and gas, and we need 100 per cent renewable energy transition', it's as simple as that," he said. 

"The summit will be attended by lots of big names in the fossil fuel industry and we're just worried that these fossil fuel giants are going to be using these conferences to basically gaslight and greenwash and so we need to make our voices heard."

Mining state to help others decarbonise

Delivering his keynote address to the summit, WA Premier Roger Cook echoed Mr Bowen's comments, saying the resources-rich state had a bigger responsibility to help other states and countries decarbonise than reduce its own carbon footprint.

"Yes, we have a responsibility to decarbonise our state," Mr Cook said.

"But, our resources are so great, that arguably, we have an even bigger responsibility to help our neighbours to decarbonise as well."

Mr Cook said international trading partners were actively looking to invest in Western Australia to achieve their own "clean fuel ambitions".

"But, our role is to be there and to work with them at all checkpoints along the road to net zero.

"The global transition isn't always as simple as quitting fossil fuels and replacing it with renewables that would devastate economies, plunge major cities into darkness, and see coal-fired power plants turned back on."

During his address, Mr Cook announced a $708 million funding boost to WA's main electricity grid.

"This network has powered WA for the last 70 years, we're setting it up now to power the next generations sustainably, reliably, and affordably," he said.

The energy summit was also attended by key representatives from the resources sector, including Woodside chief executive Meg O'Neill, who spruiked the importance of gas in meeting the needs of a growing renewable energy system.