School strikers lobby MPs to take climate action

Following yesterday’s Queen’s Speech – which has been criticised by the Greens for its lack of attention to the environment – a group of school climate strikers joined Green MP Caroline Lucas in Parliament to hand out Climate Induction packs to MPs.

UK Houses of Parliament
UK Houses of Parliament
Imogen Benson

A group of school climate strikers joined Green MP Caroline Lucas in Parliament yesterday (20 December) to lobby MPs to take action on the climate emergency.

Four young activists from the UK School Climate Network handed out Climate Induction packs containing a summary of the last report from the Committee on Climate Change, which urged the government to take drastic climate action over the next 12 months.

The packs also contained details of the UK School Climate Network’s demands, which include the implementation of a Green New Deal and reform of the education system to teach young people about the climate crisis. 

Calling on the government to take the climate emergency seriously, Lucas explained: “This is the Climate Parliament so I was delighted to be joined by some of the school climate strikers who have been pivotal in driving the climate emergency up the political agenda.

“MPs shouldn’t need reminding how important this issue is for current and future generations. The induction packs give them the information they need to make the decisions that Parliament must take over the next few months.”

The school strikers’ lobbying took place shortly after yesterday’s State Opening of Parliament, where the Queen delivered a speech laying out the new government’s agenda for the coming year. 

Whilst the Green Party had called for the Queen’s Speech to prioritise the climate, the speech reiterated Boris Johnson’s pledge to meet the ‘world-leading’ target of net-zero emissions by 2050 – a commitment criticised as ‘not good enough’ by the Greens, who have urged the government to adopt a 2030 target.   

Green Party deputy leader Amelia Womack said: “Despite the Prime Minister’s pledge to make Britain ‘the cleanest, greenest’ country on Earth, it is clear that this government is still not prioritising the climate.

“Repeating the commitment to reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 is not ‘world-leading’ and it is nowhere near fast enough to ensure we avoid runaway climate change.

“The coming days, weeks and months are crucial if we are to take the urgent action needed. It is vital MPs work together to make this the Climate Parliament.”