School students joined a nationwide chorus on Monday afternoon calling on the federal government to say no to funding gas and coal projects and instead invest in renewable energy.
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Ten students gathered in accordance with COVID-19 restrictions outside Ballarat Town Hall, displaying placards made by supporters.
Organiser Abby Halliwell said young people were calling for the federal government to commit to net zero emissions by 2030.
"With an election looming over us, we are letting everyone know young people are very passionate about this and all of the parties need to take action," she said.
The School Strike 4 Climate was organised in response to the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report and the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference COP26.
I know our parents aren't going to be as impacted by this as us, but this is our life and we are going to have to be fixing the mistakes of the generations before us.
- Abby Halliwell, Ballarat climate strike organiser
The IPCC report released in August said unless there were 'immediate', 'rapid' and 'large-scale' reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, limiting warming to close to 1.5°C or 2°C will be beyond reach.
It projected for there would be increasing heat waves, longer warm seasons and shorter cold seasons for 1.5°C of global warming.
The report shows at 2°C of global warming, heat extremes would more often reach critical tolerance thresholds for agriculture and health.
The COP26 summit in November will bring parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said he intended to go to the summit in Glasgow with net zero emissions by 2050 as a nationally determined contribution.
He is waiting on the National party to decide its stance on the net zero plan after the Liberal Party room backed him on Monday morning in a debate on the target.
Ms Halliwell said it would be too late by 2050 and the target needed to be moved forward to 2030.
She said she felt like the School Strike 4 Climate movement was gaining traction and she was optimistic leading up to the next election.
"This coming election is going to be my first election where I am able to vote. I feel as if I have a lot more say with my vote," she said.
"Climate change is a massive reason why a person might vote for a specific party.
"I know our parents aren't going to be as impacted by this as us, but this is our life and we are going to have to be fixing the mistakes of the generations before us."
Signs held during Monday's demonstration read 'my world's on fire', 'there is no planet B', 'climate and ecological emergency'.
Other signs read 'the solution to the climate crisis is electrifying' and 'do not melt our future'.
A young child also joined the demonstration.
Other school students across the country came together for strikes on Friday, but Ballarat's demonstration was postponed due to poor weather.
Ms Halliwell said the Ballarat Action Climate Co-op planned to organise more strikes in the future when COVID-19 restrictions were eased.
Past strikes have attracted hundreds of students and their supporters to march together in Ballarat for the cause.
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Rochelle Kirkham
Rochelle covers court and has a particular interest in social issues including homelessness, food security and family violence.
Rochelle covers court and has a particular interest in social issues including homelessness, food security and family violence.
