Students across the world are walking out of class today in a global climate strike. Some of the first strikes occurred in Australia, where an estimated 300,000 people took part in rallies across the country. Participants include Gina Hale, a student in Brisbane.

Gina Hale: “In school, I am learning about the effects of climate change, and I’m learning that we need to do something. Yet I’m seeing that the people in charge and the people who are running our country aren’t doing anything. To me, this is confusing. So I’m here today to step up and say, 'No more.'”

In Thailand, hundreds of young people staged a die-in at the environmental ministry, demanding government action on climate change. Here in New York, the 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who inspired the movement, will take part in a large march this afternoon. Meanwhile, workers at Amazon, Microsoft and other large firms have also pledged to take part in today’s strike. On Thursday, facing pressure from his own staff, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos vowed to make the world’s largest retailer carbon-neutral by 2040 and to purchase 100,000 electric delivery vans.