Hundreds of people protested in Dublin today calling for political action on climate change.

The group, calling itself Extinction Rebellion Ireland, urged the Government to declare a climate and ecological emergency.

Today's action comes as parts of central London remain blocked off, in a fifth day of similar protest.

Demonstrators marched from the Spire on O'Connell Street to O'Connell Bridge, where they disrupted traffic for a number of hours.

Extinction Rebellion Ireland say that Ireland is at the bottom of an EU table on decarbonisation and is on track to miss legal targets to reduce our carbon emissions and to adopt renewable energy by 2020.

The group has called on the Government to enact "legally binding policy changes to make Ireland carbon neutral by 2030".

Extinction Rebellion Ireland member Ciarán O'Carroll said it is time for Ireland to become one of the worldwide leaders on climate change.

He said: "We are talking about the collapse of our civilisations within our children’s lifetimes if we don’t take action now."

Demonstrators gathering for a "Day of Rebellion" in Dublin City Centre today to protest over what it calls government inaction on climate change @rtenews @ExtinctRebelsIE pic.twitter.com/Usn1FGwYtE — Laura Hogan (@LauraHoganTV) April 19, 2019

Mr O'Carroll said the voice of youth is "everything" in this campaign and that "we are here for our children and our grandchildren".

He said in order to achieve action on this we need keep fossil fuels in the ground.

"We need to stop digging them up and burning them, that is the biggest thing we can do to avert climate and ecological catastrophe."