Hundreds of Perth students take to the streets to protest climate change
Hundreds of students, faculty staff and climate change activists took to the streets of Perth CBD as part of a nationwide protest against climate change on Friday.
Organised by the National Union of Students, the rally encouraged students to walk off campuses and protest against government inaction on climate change.
Protesters gathered at Forrest Place at noon and marched down St George's Terrace towards the QV1 building, the headquarters of oil and gas giant Chevron.
The company made headlines last year, after it was revealed they had released millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere instead of injecting it underground, as environmental approvals required, in their Gorgon Gas project off WA's north-west coast.
At QV1, students chanting anti-Adani and anti-fracking slogans were met with a heavy police presence, including officers on foot, bikes and horses, and the Regional Operations Group.
The group called on the government to invest into renewable energy sources, create sustainable jobs for a green economy and ban fracking and nuclear projects in WA.
The group then threatened to walk into the streets and disrupt passing traffic, prompting police to barricade the access to the road.
"With scientists around the world in agreeance that we are running out of time to prevent the catastrophic effects of climate change, students will no longer accept lukewarm policies and – in the case of the Australian government – the continued support of industries that are directly contributing to the worsening condition of our planet," the NUS wrote on social media.
"We, the undersigned, declare that the world is currently in a state of climate emergency and demand that our government take action."