Young duo take on climate change fight

TWO Bannockburn children are on a crusade to stop climate change.

Primary school students Amelia O’Brien and Finn Thomas are asking teachers and students across the nation to start a conversation about climate change and to write letters to the Australian Environment Minister.

“We want other students to write a letter to the environment minister and help reduce their carbon footprint,” said Amelia.

“If we wait any longer it could get too late.”

Finn said the key to addressing climate change is to get the government to make big shifts, rather than small ones.

“Some of the effects of climate change are already going to happen, it’s like a ship and we’ve been steering it in the one direction too long,” he said.

“We want the government to get big companies like BP and Shell to be reducing emissions or having zero emissions.

“The carbon footprint is a way of measuring one individual’s environmental impact and it was coined in the 1990s by some scientists.

“Big companies like BP and Shell have been using this to greenwash their image and pin the blame on us so we feel overwhelmed by climate change.

“By reducing your own carbon footprint you are already doing a lot of good, but to make a big large scale change we really need to pressure the government.”

They pair are also urging schools to make available video the duo produced that talks about how every day actions may contribute to climate change and how people can make a meaningful difference.

They suggested that although it’s big companies who can make a big change, little steps like composting, turning off lights, eating less meat, reducing air travel, and using public transport are still important and help the cause.

Their efforts have caught the attention of many including the Queensland Education Department, science commentator Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, and other educational and environmental organisations.

Both Amelia and Finn are now looking towards a positive, green future.

“We want the environment to be clean and healthy, so our kids and their kids grow up in a healthy environment and kids don’t get asthma just because we didn’t do anything,” Amelia said.

Finn echoed a similar sentiment.

“We don’t want them to ask 20 years from now why we didn’t do anything,” he said.

Watch and share their video at bit.ly/40tupZU.