To save my generation’s future, we must act now.

On Friday, 20 th September, millions of people across the world joined local strikes to demand climate action from our political leaders. Workers joined with students for the first time, in almost every country, to show our anger that almost nothing has been done to resolve the Climate Crisis. Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells were no exception, with students, workers and retired people joining together to march.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), we have just 11 years left to prevent irreversible damage from climate change. Failing to act will be catastrophic for our future existence on the planet. There will be more frequent and severe droughts and heatwaves, the melting of all ice in the Arctic Ocean and subsequent sea level rises. This will make large parts of our world uninhabitable, cause millions of people to be displaced from their homes, and destroy many aspects of our current agricultural system, leaving us without food.
Knowing the threats we face, I greatly fear for the future of the planet. However, I am not without hope. If we act now, we can prevent the worst impacts of climate change. However, in order to act, we must create the political will.
There are a number of organisations that campaign for environmental action, but for me, I believe that in order to solve the Climate Crisis we need to change the entire political system. We can not simply add some environmental sticking plasters to current policies, but rather we need to make sustainability the key principle of all decisions made within local, national and international politics. With this in mind, I joined the Green Party in 2017.
Since then, there have been massive leaps in the public’s awareness of the Climate Crisis. In the wake of Greta Thunberg’s first school strike in Sweden, David Attenborough’s documentary series and Extinction Rebellion protests, awareness has never been higher, with 85% of British citizens expressing concern about climate change, according to a recent study. In my personal experience as a Green Party activist, I have seen a massive surge in support for environmental action on doorsteps across the county.
Here in Tonbridge, April Clark and Mark Hood have been standing up for the enviroment on the Borough Council since their election victory in May. They have already had significant success, within the Council declaring a Climate Emergency in July and committing to reach carbon neutrality by the end of 2030. Whilst April and Mark make up only a small proportion of our councillors, their arrival has already created a precedent at King’s Hill.
At every level of government, Greens have and always will always push for climate action. In this time of crisis, we are determining the fate of my and future generations. If we are to create a desirable future, we need more Greens to represent us and push for environmental action at every level.