More than 300,000 Australians from across the country gathered Friday as part of planned global climate protests, organizers say.

Australia was one of the first countries to join the global Climate Strike protests, with hundreds of thousands of people expected to show up around the world.

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Organizers say 300,000 Australians from across the country gathered Friday as part of the global Climate Strike protests planned around the world.

Students, teachers, activists, and people from all walks of life came together for the first rounds of protests in the Southern Hemisphere kickoff. The Friday protests were started by Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old Swedish climate activist who protested outside the Swedish parliament.

In capital cities around Australia, including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra, Darwin, and Hobart, people prepared signs and chanted slogans in favor of swift climate action. Hundreds of thousands of protesters were expected across the country, with businesses encouraging their staff to take time off to attend.

School Strike 4 Climate, the organizers of the event, estimate there were 100,000 people in Melbourne, 80,000 in Sydney, 30,000 in Brisbane, 20,000 in Adelaide, 20,000 in Hobart, 15,000 in Canberra, and 10,000 in Perth. Students and workers in more than 110 cities and towns across the country also held smaller rallies.

The movement is led by the youth, who were out in force at the protests and spoke with Business Insider about their motives for protesting.

"I want to ensure a better world for myself and my future kids," Steffanie Tan, 22, of Melbourne, said. "If we don't stand up to our government now, then we might not have a future to look forward to."

A student named Kate McNess, 17, said, "It's an important issue and it's our future." While, another 17-year-old student, Nishtha Sharma, said it was the only way she knew how to speak up. "This is basically the only way to have our voice heard," she said.

Organizers say the goal of Australia's strike was to ask the federal government to commit to:

No new coal, oil, and gas projects, including the Adani mine.

One-hundred percent renewable energy generation and exports by 2030.

Funding transitions and job creation for all fossil-fuel industry workers & communities.

Scroll through to see photos of the crowds and signs from protests around the country.