Climate Action Group
Posted on November 9, 2022
By Sahansa Udawatta (Year 10)
One Planet, One Chance
As Tamanians we congratulate ourselves on the beauty of our natural environment, yet we repeatedly seek to pillage its resources for the sake of personal gain and development. We cannot continue to sit back as the world around us stops breathing. The match has been lit and the necessity of immediate action is no longer a debate. The heating of the Earth and the melting of the ice sheets, the loss of biodiversity and the unpredictable extremes of weather, are all a result of our enslavement of the place that has given life to us. To truly let our planet heal, we must peel back the layers and learn from the past.
The Friends’ School Climate Action Group is the ideal opportunity for students with an interest in the consequences of climate change to gather, discuss their ideas and compose letters to politicians advocating for action. Each week students are empowered to have a voice in environmental policies by Kate Sinclair who fosters their understanding of topical issues and assists them in articulating their thoughts and solutions to the problem. On the 12th of August students were fortunate enough to attend a workshop by the Australian Youth Climate Council. The workshop centred around the ways to take action on climate change and how to engage decision makers to create change at all levels. Overall, the ideas of climate justice and solutions to environmental degradation reinforced the importance of a respectful relationship with nature. It is clear we must tread lightly on our planet. We must let the gentle waves of the Derwent cleanse us of our footprints. We must reverse the clock and find the balance our planet needs.
