Power to the children

Abstract

“You have failed us in the past. If you continue failing us in the future, we, the young people, will make change happen by ourselves. The youth of this world has started to move and we will not rest again.” So concluded an open letter signed by The global coordination group of the youth-led climate strike, published in The Guardian on March 1. The statement of intent encapsulates an emerging shift and assertion of power, manifested through an international uprising of non-violent protest against the widespread lack of adult action to halt climate change and the destruction of our planet. Initiated by only a handful of individuals, notably Sweden's 16 year old Greta Thunberg, this movement has now taken hold in every continent, with many thousands of young people striking from school on Fridays in rapidly growing numbers across the world, expected to reach a peak on a global day of action on March 15. Their demand is clear: protect the future of the planet through following the Paris Agreement and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recommendations, limiting global temperature rises to below 1·5°C. Tragically, their passion is being shot down by many adults in power—including the UK's Prime Minister, Theresa May—who wish to silence their voices. However, as their momentum gathers, it is increasingly conceivable that the collective global voice of these inspirational children may be enough to move the tipping point in the right direction: for them to seize control, and for our planet to be placed in the safer hands of the next generation. The UK Parliament's first debate on climate change in 2 years took place on February 28, which organising Member of Parliament (MP) Layla Moran attributed directly to the thousands of children who have called for action in recent weeks through school strikes. The turnout of MPs was beyond disappointing though—appalling, in fact, with as few as ten MPs participating on the bench at times, and no more than 40 of the 650 constituencies represented. How has climate change has sunk so low on the political agenda? Our only hope now may rest in the hands of young people, with responsible adults seemingly absent from positions of power, but for a few exceptions. In the UK, political and practical commitment to a net zero target of greenhouse gas emissions, must be secured to enforce the limit of global temperature rises. Health professionals broadly and vocally support such legislation, and correspondence published in The Lancet has called for commitment to meet net zero targets by 2030. The IPCC data are comprised of predictions and probabilities, but the ranges offer a window of possibility indicating that adequate change is still within reach. But that window is closing fast, and politicians must make it a reality. To call this a matter of urgency is an understatement, yet widespread adult will remains absent. Civil society is changing. November, 2019, marks 30 years since the United Nation's adoption of the Convention on the rights of the child. In 1989 the scale of human led climate change destruction that would be inflicted on our planet was not anticipated, and the Convention does not reflect our planetary crisis. Concurrently, intergenerational politics does not afford power to young people. Current and past adult generations have decimated the planet, yet the voices of our future, trying to clean up our mess, are marginalised by those same adults who created the disaster. Climate change is here now. Waiting for the future is already too late. Tomorrow's citizens should be reframed as today's. Civil society needs to be redefined at every level to include all ages, without the default positioning of young people as a separate powerless entity. These calls for action and change are set against a dystopian backdrop of freak weather incidents across the world, which are becoming the accepted norm—winter heatwaves across Europe in February, flooding in the Middle East, spells of extreme cold in the US. Listen to the children. Let them take the reins of our planet. Accept that adult leadership has failed to manage our shared resources with such horrific consequences. We need nothing short of a redefinition of civil society to ensure a future for our fragile Earth. Humanising health and climate changeThe 2018 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change by Nick Watts and colleagues published on Nov 28 provides a snapshot and direction of travel for 41 global indicators at the intersection between health and climate change. Full-Text PDF