Dear editor,
We are third-year students in the bachelor of science in nursing at North Island College, and we have significant concerns about the health of our environment. We believe our society should be supporting, not condemning those who want to help find solutions to global climate change.
Tom Fletcher’s article The hijacking of our education system, March 26, suggests that the support being given by the BC Teachers Federation (BCFT) to the “student strike 4 climate” actions is encouraging students to refuse to carry out their “responsibilities” and the teachers are giving students the message “governments don’t matter.” Fletcher also proposes despite the urgency that exists for cutting carbon emissions to avert irreversible climate change, the reality is that we are unable to do so as this would result in “economic collapse.”
In response to these statements, we would like to propose the recent school “student strikes 4 climate” actions represent the opposite of Fletcher’s analysis of this global movement of young people. In addition, there is the potential for scientists and governments to work towards tackling climate change.
The founder of the school student movement, Greta Thunberg, (aged 16) stated “Adults keep saying: ‘We owe it to the young people to give them hope’, but I don’t want your hope. I don’t want you to be hopeful. I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day. And then I want you to act. I want you to act as you would in a crisis. I want you to act as if our house is on fire. Because it is.” (The Guardian, 2019).
The ‘student strike 4 climate’ movement indicates many young people across the globe are taking the initiative to be advocates for the future of the planet in a democratic and peaceful manner. They should be taken seriously and heard! Today’s youth will be tomorrow’s politicians, scientists, and educators. We must support their willingness to sacrifice their time to raise awareness on global climate change.
Clare Hudson, Meghan Leahy, Kate Moynihan, Chelsea Connatty, Lydia Hardy,
Courtenay