The voice of the future is speaking on climate change and those in power would do well to heed it.
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This week students in Castlemaine, Bendigo and beyond took to the streets in protest against the lack of action on climate change.
As Harriet O’Shea Carre, 14, said: “Being children, we have very little say about things like this but we care deeply. We are demanding the government start treating climate change like the crisis it is.”
Harriet and her fellow Castlemaine student Milou Albrecht, also 14, wrote about their concerns in a letter, which stressed that, if the politicians wouldn’t act then “kids across this country have to make them”. “ We kids didn’t create this problem, but we’re going to do all that we can to help fix it. And our politicians should too.” It was the message they took to local politicians Bridgit McKenzie and Lisa Chesters (only the latter met with them).
The voices of the students shouldn’t be dismissed – the world is as much theirs as ours.
Read more: Students strike for action on climate change
And consider well, politicians, that in a few years these “kids” will be voters, ready to judge you on your record surrounding the issues that matter to them. Yes, that will be jobs, education, taxes and future growth. But it will equally be the on climate - how summer heatwaves are getting longer, bushfire seasons more deadly, sea levels are rising and species are dying out. They will ask what you are doing about it and they won’t be fobbed off.
This generation, like the generations before and those to come, are only custodians of this planet. The task should be to make sure it’s habitable into the long-distant future, not to worry about climate change blowback at the next election, or the one after that.
With less than a month until the State election it’s time for candidates to lay their climate-change cards on the table. Let the kids’ see what you’ve got. Afterall, it’s their future that the students are fighting for. It’s time not just to listen, but to act, on their clarion call. Politicans, if you don’t, they might just take your jobs.
Juanita Greville
Letters must carry the name, full address and telephone number of the author. The writer’s name and suburb/town will be published. We reserve the right to edit letters. Letters which are deemed inappropriate will not be published.Send letters to Bendigo Advertiser, PO Box 61, Bendigo 3552 or at bendigoadvertiser.com.au
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