My name is Daniel Bleakley. I’m a 37-year-old mechanical engineer and business owner from Melbourne. I've been a regular presence over the past 10 days on the steps of the Victorian parliament in a protest about the government's lack on action on climate change.

Extinction Rebellion hunger striker Dan Bleakley on the steps of Parliament in Melbourne. Credit:Justin McManus

I've been joined by a number of others on the steps throughout the week as part of global hunger strike for extinction rebellion. In that time, I have not eaten anything, and my dreams are filled with food fantasies - pizza, toasties, even a lettuce leaf has become a mouth-watering idea. I have already lost about five kilograms.

So why am I taking this action, which I know might seem quite extreme to some people? I grew up in Clermont, which is a small coalmining town in central Queensland. Clermont has become famous recently because it’s the closest town to the proposed Adani coal mine. I used to work in a coalmine in the region as an engineer.

When I first truly became aware of the threat of climate change in 2001, I wrote my first letter to a politician. I received a rubbish response, a form letter that reflected the government's lack interest in taking any real action on this issue.