YOUNGSTERS in Redditch once more stepped up to highlight the issue of climate change at the latest Youth Strike 4 Climate event last Friday.
As well as the protest at the Town Hall pupils at St Luke’s First School in Headless Cross took to their playground in the afternoon with their message to save the planet.
The action, which has brought together young people from across the world as well as the United Kingdom, has sprung from a UN report into climate change which estimated humankind had just 12 years to keep global temperature increases to within a ‘safe’ 1.5 degrees Celsius after which the planet could suffer severe droughts, floods, wildfires and more.
Pupils at St Luke’s decided to join their action after a visit to Dudley Zoo showed just how many animals were on the endangered species list.
Like many schools in Redditch, St Luke’s also suffers from school run traffic jams and the youngsters were urging people to walk more and drive less.
At the Town Hall, doughty 16-year-old climate campaigner Alisha Zahid once again led the protest.
She said: “Climate change is happening now, and we’re not sure if we’ll even have a future and talking about it is important – but we have to act too.”
She added that many young people had already started making changes to their lives in response to the crisis but big corporations had to act more responsibility too.
Alisha has already won the support of council leader Councillor Matt Dormer with her call for Redditch Borough Council to declare a climate emergency, something Worcestershire County Council failed to do last week when called upon.
Claire Davies, leader of the local Green Party in Redditch said: “Whatever else is going on in the world and in people’s lives the climate crisis includes absolutely everyone and we all need to step up.
“There’s no space for denial now and we need people to take the really hard decisions and work together for the sake of everyone but especially our kids.”
REDDITCH MP Rachel Maclean has welcomed the Government’s plans to ban plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds in England.
Following overwhelming public support for the move in a consultation, the ban will come into force in April 2020.
She said: “We must end the scourge of plastic pollution and protect our environment from items which are often used for just a few minutes, but take hundreds of years to break down.”
