Thousands rally for climate change across Australian capital cities

Thousands of Canberrans have gathered in front of the Parliament House on Sunday to participate in the People's Climate March ahead of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change scheduled to be held in Paris on Monday.

Chanting "We want climate justice and we want it now" and other slogans and holding placard such as "People before profit" and "100% Renewable Energy Now," the marching crowd departed from the lawn in front of the Parliament House, down the Parliament Drive and round to the Reconciliation Point in front of the Old Parliament House.

They were greeted by the aboriginal elders who have been camping in front of the Old Parliament House in the so-called Tent Embassy, demanding land rights for aboriginal Australians.

The rally attracted a wide range of groups, from Labor and the Greens supporters, the fireman's union, bee keepers, to Great Barrier Reef advocates and animal rights activists.

Conservation Council ACT assistant director communications Phoebe Howe described the turnout at the Canberra march as "amazing."

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) has a total population of less than 400,000.

Among the demonstrators were Tulley, 9, and sister Freya, 8, who held a placard with two gnomes and the words "Gnomes for Climate Action."

Their father were disappointed with Australian government's latest announcement of reaching the 2020 emission reduction target, saying it was all due to the accounting rules. He urged all countries to take serious actions in tackling climate change.

Australian Environment Minister Greg Hunt announced on Wednesday during his address to the National Press Club that Australia is "on track to meet and beat our target for 2020", which requires Australia to reduce the emission by 5 percent from 2000 level.

"At this point, our estimates show that we will exceed our target by 28 million tons," Hunt said.

However, the Guardian reported that "Australia is meeting its minimum goal via accounting rules and "most forecasts show its emissions will rise by 2020."

Canberra was one of more than 600 cities around the world to take part in the largest international weekend of climate action ahead of the Paris talks. People's Climate March was also staged on Sunday in other major Australian cities including Sydney, Adelaide and Perth, while Melbourne, Brisbane and Darwin had already seen the rallies on Friday and Saturday. Endit