Hundreds of Edmonton students marched on the Alberta legislature this afternoon as part of the global strike for climate action. 

Students from the University of Alberta, MacEwan University and multiple high schools all took part, most of them skipping class to do so. 

“We came out here today because we are really passionate about the environment and we think how our current government is handling the environment and their policies isn’t effective and we’re really scared for our futures,” said Emma Foose, 17, a Ross Shepherd High School student. 

It's the fourth time the rally has taken place in Edmonton. 

The group made their way from the legislature to Canada Place and entered the building, chanting, with megaphones and flags. The demonstrators  continued through to a courtyard where they held a "die-in" to emphasize the severity of the clmate crisis. 

“This makes me really hopeful that so many people are so passionate. This makes me really hopeful that we can bring awareness to the situation and help shape policy,” said Foose.

Around the world, teens already took part in rallies on Friday with dozens of similar events planned for across Canada in all 10 provinces and two territories. 

The contingent of mostly young people, between two and three hundred were joined by marshals in vests to stop traffic. Other like minded groups of all ages joined up behind a massive banner that read Student Strike 4 Climate.

The rallies - dubbed Global Climate Strike - are timed to coincide with the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York next week.

The movement is partly inspired by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, who has staged weekly demonstrations over the past year under the hashtag #FridaysForFuture, calling on world leaders to step up efforts against climate change.

An estimated 300,000 protesters took to Australian streets, which was the largest demonstration in the country since the Iraq War in 2003. Hundreds of rallies took place in the United States, Europe and across Asia. 

With files from the Canadian Press and CTV's David Ewasuk