Adults Must  Tackle Climate Change Urgently, Teenagers Tell Councils

Published on: 4 Jul, 2019
Updated on: 4 Jul, 2019

Petra Todd, 15, and Hattie Twigger-Ross, 15 present a petition to Guildford Borough Council and Surrey County Council. Photo LDR

By Rebecca Curley

local democracy reporter

Adults are getting it wrong tackling the climate change emergency, say teenagers. They say they “relied for a long time on the adults to sort things out” and to take it more seriously.

But councillors in Guildford defended “small steps” they are taking to make changes and said councils are introducing new policies and measures to combat climate change.

A climate change emergency should be declared in Guildford, two 15-year-olds told a joint committee of Guildford Borough and Surrey County Councils at Millmead on Wednesday (July 3, 2019).

Petra Todd and Hattie Twigger-Ross presented their petition at the meeting saying they were “scared for their future” and the councillors needed to be “instrumental” in mitigating changes.

Petra said: “We, the youth, believe we have relied too long on the adults to sort everything out. And well, spoiler alert, it hasn’t worked.

“We, the students, now realise we must fight for our future. And we need you – the people in power – to listen.”

In May Petra and Hattie, from George Abbot School, organised a march to GBC offices May to deliver the petition signed by 343 people of all ages and on June 21 they held a strike at school.

Petra referred to the deadline given in 2018 by climate scientists who said it would be just 12 years before the impact of climate change became irreversible, adding: “If we don’t change our lives as well as the whole structure of our society drastically within the next decade we are facing a collapse of civilisation as we know it.”

Cllr Keith Taylor

She said it may seem too big to solve in Surrey but asked for the councils to be a part of fighting the crisis, including declaring a climate change emergency, making buses and public transport cheaper, introducing plastic-free authorities and helping people walk and cycle more.

Committee chairman County Cllr Keith Taylor (Con, Shere) said: “Our hearts may be with you but the devil is in the detail of trying to make these things happen.”

Cllr Fiona White

Other councillors said small changes were being made. Fiona White told the girls about SCC’s full meeting on Tuesday, July 9, where three motions will call for more trees in towns, the county council to meet government climate change 2050 targets and for a boycott of the use of toxic weed-killer.

County Cllr White (Lib Dem, Guildford West) said: “These are small steps and we are only going to do this in small steps. I think you are winning so please keep going and please keep on. You are showing the way and the rest of us will follow. It may take some longer than others.”

Cllr George Potter

Cllr George Potter (Lib Dem, Burpham) said: “This is a deeply urgent issue. The 2050 target is too far away. We need to be taking action in the next 12 years. Serious action if we have any chance of stopping climate breakdown. I think things are moving in the right direction.”

He said Guildford would soon be debating motions about cutting emissions in the area and becoming a plastic-free borough.

After the meeting, Petra said: “I think small steps are important. But I felt like there wasn’t any urgency in the decisions.”

Hattie added: “There was a lot of bureaucracy around it. I feel like small steps are good but we are trying to push for more.”

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