“The eyes of all future generations are upon you. And if you choose to fail us, I say – we will never forgive you.” – UN Climate Summit, New York, 23 September 2019.
These were the powerful words of 16 year old Greta Thunberg; now famous all over the world for campaigning against climate change.
She has given a number of powerful speeches since she first started her #FridaysForFuture movement, with millions of young people joining her to protest. This year in the senior school we have our new ‘Green Club’, expertly led by Year 13 IBDP student Lorena Streit. This student led group are challenging various parts of the School on how and what they can do to be far more sustainable. Back in October many members of the Club went along to join the Quantock Eco group in Crowcombe as they educated the local people about the steps that they could take to reduce their carbon footprint; the chatter in the minibus back to school following the presentation was how impressed they were to see that the room was in fact full of ‘older people’ (their phrase) who were keen to pledge the steps that they were going to take to make a difference, and it gave the students some hope; this is especially important to them, as it feels to them that the older generation have ignored the warnings. Part of the GCSE and IB Geography course now has Climate Change on the curriculum, our students are therefore being educated as to what has caused the climate to change, the consequences of it but also how we will try and manage this change. We know that our children will live in a world very different to our own, so on their behalf, I challenge you to assess your own carbon footprint and pledge to make a change in your life for your children and grandchildren.
Ruth Coomber,
Director of Student Progress and Geography Teacher
