Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg joined thousands of protesters marching in Alberta, Canada's energy heartland, on Friday as a smaller counterrally of oil and gas workers converged on the provincial capital, Edmonton.

While Thunberg steered clear of making any direct criticism of Alberta's oil sands or of commenting explicitly on Canada's upcoming election, she called for Canada to take responsibility for its emissions.

"Richer countries such as Canada and Sweden need to get down to zero emissions much faster so people in poorer countries can heighten their standard of living by building the infrastructure we have already built," Thunberg told a cheering crowd from the steps of the Alberta Legislature Building.

"We're not doing this because it's fun or because we have a special interest in the climate or because we want to become politicians when we grow up. We're doing this because our future is at stake," she continued.

Read more: Greta Thunberg leads 500,000 people at Montreal climate rally

Protest punctuated by pro-oil counterrally

The crowd, estimated by organizers to number close to 10,000, was led by indigenous drummers and marched slowly towards the provincial legislature building from the city center.

"I came out to show support for Greta and everyone fighting against the climate crisis," said demonstrator Bridget Gutteridge-Hingston, 13, who marched with her father. "It's something I'm definitely scared of," she said.

A smaller counterrally organized by a pro-oil group, United We Roll, drove from the nearby city of Red Deer to Edmonton in order to demonstrate their support for the oil and gas industry. The convoy of big rig trucks passed by the legislature building and honked their horns as Thunberg spoke.

Climate change activists and oil industry supporters gather side-by-side at the Alberta Legislature Building.

Late last month, Thunberg led a rally in Montreal that attracted 500,000 people and met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Read more: Canada's Environment Minister Catherine McKenna gets security detail

Federal election ahead

Alberta is home to Canada's oil sands and holds the world's third-largest crude reserves. A 2018 Stanford University study ranked the Canadian oil industry's upstream emissions as the fourth-largest in the world.

The march, organized by indigenous and environmental groups, came days ahead of Monday's federal election in which climate change and the future of the oil and gas industry have proven to be important and contentious issues.

Global climate strike in pictures Over 1 million protesters in Italy Estimates are already showing that over 1 million people took to the street on Friday in Italy to protest for the climate. There were 250,000 in Rome, 80,000 in Naples, 20,000 in Bologna and 20,000 in Turin, pictured here. In Palermo, the riot police had to intervene after 30 black-clad youngsters attempted to break up the demonstration.

Global climate strike in pictures 'Flash mob' in Moscow, Russia Despite the Russian government's opposition to organized climate strikes, some protesters gathered in defiance. This girl holds a poster as part of a Greenpeace flash mob in front of the Russian government building. Arshak Makichyan, 25, became the face of the Russian Friday for Future movement with his lone protest.

Global climate strike in pictures Protesters in The Hague, Netherlands An estimated 6,000 protesters took to the streets in The Hague last week, and it is estimated that similar numbers can be expected this Friday. The Fridays for Future movement has been extremely popular in the Netherlands.

Global climate strike in pictures 20,000 protesters in Turin, Italy Over a million people have been reported as protesting in Italy, with 20,000 in the city of Turin. Education Minister Lorenzo Fioramonti urged teachers not to punish students who skipped class.

Global climate strike in pictures Blocking the street in Lausanne, Switzerland A protester blocks the street in Lausanne, Switzerland to stop police vehicles from getting through. The Fridays for Future movement in Switzerland has been relatively small compared to other European countries.

Global climate strike in pictures Germans disappointed with national climate plan In Berlin, where an estimated 100,000 people came to the streets last week, the protests have taken on a major political dimension. Huge puppets of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Finance Minister Olaf Scholz exemplified general dissatisfaction with how politicians have dealt with climate change issues and a national climate plan the government released last week.

Global climate strike in pictures Strikers follow in Greta Thunberg's footsteps in Stockholm Where Greta Thunberg first began the climate protest by herself over a year ago, thousands of protesters took to the street on Friday. Thunberg, who addressed the UN this week, will soon make her way to South America for a UN climate conference.

Global climate strike in pictures Costumed protesters in Tel Aviv, Israel Protesters in Israel donned red as they took to the streets. Following Israel's indecisive elections last week, many young Israelis remain concerned about the future of climate change policy in their country.



The election promises to be a tight race between Trudeau's Liberals, who are campaigning on a promise to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 despite having purchased an oil pipeline, and Andrew Scheer's Conservatives, who are campaigning on a platform to scrap the country's carbon tax.

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mmc/sms (AP, Reuters)