Greta Thunberg said: “Our house is on fire”.
But she’s wrong. It’s our home. Our home is on fire.
You can move houses, renovate them, sell them, and then move into another one. When it’s your home, it’s different.
This is the one place we have, and yet we still don’t take enough action to save our home from destruction. Our home is on fire, with its’ clear blue springs, scenic woodlands, and picturesque mountains. They’re all at risk, all slowly being destroyed. In 20 years or so, who’s to know how much of our world will be left?
So, in the hope of saving our future generations, we give up one day at school. We go on strike. We take a stand. Striking isn’t just for better wages or shorter shifts, we strike to try and change the world, or at least, try and save it.
Recently, I’ve been inspired by a huge number of people to make a change, like Greta Thunberg, Emma Greenwood and Jamie Margolin. All young people, all speaking out and all committed to making change.
I’m looking into starting up a local group for other young people who are striking, to let people know that they do have a voice and they can make a difference, every voice helps. We don’t strike because we “don’t care about our education”, we strike because if we don’t, who will? Young people have got to be heard and have got to be involved, so the government understands that talking can only get us so far, and we need to act now.
In Edinburgh, youth climate strikers have permission to take one authorised school day off a year for the strikes. A day isn’t long enough, this is the future we’re talking about. Our government need to take urgent steps to tackle the climate emergency fast, and we are prepared to do whatever it takes to get them to act now. We will never stop fighting to save the future, and neither should they.
For way too long, the politicians and those in power have done little to save our world, and have not recognised the importance of what’s at stake here. Now, it’s time to act. It’s time to speak out. It’s time to force them to make change.
It’s not just our future at stake here. Professionals, adults, young people and children are all striking together. For their children, for our children and our children’s children, so that we can protect our world from its’ biggest danger. Ourselves.
To those striking today, we stand with you.
It’s time to protect our home.
By Bethan Hoggan, Young NCB