The angry response from many people to Friday's #ThisIsClimateChange rally in the Bathurst CBD proved there are still a lot of adults who'd prefer not to hear from the younger generation - particularly when it comes to an issue as thorny as the climate.

Even before the rally got under way on Friday, scores of angry posters had taken to social media offering their advice for the students, including getting rid of their mobile phones and iPads and getting back to school.

It seems, for many adults, that the only thing worse than a teenager who won't do anything is a teenager who wants to do something.

But at a time when the skies over Bathurst host a daily battle to see whether smoke or dust will cause the greatest damage, you can hardly blame the younger generation for asking if this is the best we can do.

The past month's shocking air quality might prove to be an historic anomaly, a one-off occurrence of fires at one end of the region and drought at the other and each pushing their pollutants over our city.

Or it might prove to be the start of an annual health crisis that could reap serious damage on residents' wellbeing.

It's no wonder so many young people believe sitting idly by and waiting to see just isn't good enough.

Similarly, the oft-repeated mantra that Australia taking real steps to tackle emissions will mean nothing on a global scale if larger countries including China, India and the US don't follow suit is also starting to ring hollow.

Our young people are constantly told in school that others doing the wrong thing is no reason for them not to do the right thing, so why do politicians and captains of industry get to play by different rules?

Those people marching on Friday no doubt held the view that any small impact that Australia can have must be better than none at all, and air that's just a little bit cleaner in years to come has to better than air that's just a little bit dirtier.

And even if those people marching on Friday didn't have all the answers, they certainly had every right to ask the questions.