A letter outlining climate concerns is circulating among students in a bid to ‘push parliament into action’ and prevent a climate catastrophe. The letter template, written by Manchester University students Ella Sinclair and Annie Etherington, was shared online last week condemning the government’s poor approach on the issue of climate change.
The pair wrote: “We have 11 years left to avoid irreversible damage to the planet. Please take a minute to try and prevent this!”
The post, accompanied by a link to the MP directory, urges readers to send the letter to their local MP’s and encourage others to take action. Issues raised include record-high temperatures in the UK this February, unusual levels of snowfall in Hawaii, and wildfires across the globe.
The pair wrote the letter in hopes of reaching out to young people, arguing that the effects will be most detrimental for those living to see the consequences of global warming.
Ella Sinclair, an Anthropology student at Manchester University, said: “We’re going to be the ones living through it. I kind of thought [of] it as the voice of young people being like ‘can all the politicians get off their backsides and do something.’”
While climate change is an increasing conversation topic on social media, the pair urge their peers to contact local MP’s directly instead of just liking social media posts.
“[MP’s] do have a strong voice to encourage their constituents,” Annie Etherington, Geography student, said.
“I live in Lewes [which has] a Conservative MP who doesn’t stand for anything I believe in. So I kind of just wanted to make her aware that I disagree with her.”
Etherington's MP Maria Caulfield has consistently voted against measures to prevent climate change, with zero votes for and nine against raised proposals.
The students are among many to condemn a low MP turnout at the recent climate debate held by Caroline Lucas in parliament, of which only a handful of the 650 MPs attended.
“What could possibly be more important? No one will care about Brexit when there’s no planet to live on,” Ella said. “I know that’s obviously a very extreme and narrow way of looking at it but at the end of the day, that’s how it is.”
In recent months, there has been a rise youth climate protests across the UK and Europe, as well as Extinction Rebellion, a movement founded in 2018 aimed at holding the government accountable for climate disaster.
In November 2018, hundreds of climate change protesters gathered outside Parliament Square to stage a mass funeral procession across the capital.
They were asked to arrive in appropriate funeral dress and bring wreathes or photographs of extinct animals.
Further protests are scheduled across the country this week, with youth strikes set to take place in Parliament Square, London, this Friday.
“The government has the power of the hearts and minds of the people in this country and they should be utilising [that],” Ella said.
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