Teenagers like me seem to be the only ones brave enough to call for real change

For decades we’ve seen government after government provide tax breaks, credit lines, subsidies and incentives to the fossil fuel industry. It’s about time this was redirected toward the sectors that will be crucial for a prosperous future

Over the previous two months, young people in the UK – including myself – and around the world have made quite a statement. In the UK during February and March 70,000 young people took to the streets as part of the #YouthStrike4Climate movement, unified under the banner of system change, not climate change.

We’ve proven to be the antidote to the climate apathy that’s riddled the political class. We’re creative, imaginative and we’re certainly not bound by the constraints that leave politicians caring more about re-election than the future of our planet.

On 15 March we stood shoulder to shoulder with our peers in more than 150 countries, mobilising more than 1.6 million people as part of the global FridaysForFuture movement. It’s thought that this was the largest climate mobilisation in history. We should be proud of ourselves for what we’re doing. It’s a massive achievement, but it’s also not enough.

We know our climate is in crisis, and we know that the current system is to blame. This is the same system that disenfranchises and oppresses people the world over. We need change, and we need it now. That’s why today, the UK Student Climate Network is calling for a Green New Deal in the UK.

We’ve excitedly watched on as our peers in the Sunrise Movement in the United States have popularised and driven forward momentum for a Green New Deal across the Atlantic. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been a vocal supporter, giving fresh energy to the climate debate, rooted within a climate justice framework. Now’s the moment for organising because we know exactly what’s at stake.

Here in the UK, a Green New Deal would be transformative. It’s a policy plan to reimagine our economy at the scale and timeframe needed to address the climate crisis. Better yet, it’s not just an environmental concept, it’s rooted in social justice and equality, by the people, for the people. Introducing such a change would mean huge strides toward eliminating inequalities within society, providing good and meaningful jobs for all, protecting communities most vulnerable to climate change, and protecting and restoring our natural world.

A Green New Deal would focus on providing for those in deindustrialised areas and those who would otherwise be disenfranchised by rapid decarbonisation and the necessary elimination of high emissions industries. This isn’t a binary choice of jobs or environmental protection, we need both. By its definition, it centres the needs of everyday people above profit-seeking and corporate greed.

For decades we’ve seen government after government provide tax breaks, credit lines, subsidies and incentives to the fossil fuel industry. It’s about time this was redirected toward the sectors and industries that will be crucial for a prosperous future.

A lack of action now will only spell disaster. We have a very limited timeframe to achieve the change which could avert catastrophic climate breakdown. We know it will be a challenge to pressure those currently in power to act with our interests at heart, after all it’s a system that works for them. However, we either need to push for that change, or replace those in power with leaders that will look after our planet, implement policy that helps everyone, and ensure we have a future.

Because of the world we’re inheriting, young people no longer have a choice but to take to the streets and demand those in power look at the science and act as a matter of urgency. We’ve looked to politicians and elected representatives to act in our interests in the past. We’ve looked to NGOs, campaign groups and civil society. Yet it’s us, students, young people – some of whom are only children – that are the ones being bold, courageous, and demanding an end to the status quo. We’ll no longer accept business-as-usual. We’ve had enough fossil fuel extraction, fracking, destructive agriculture, greed, bureaucrats, and politicians in the pocket of the corporate lobbies.

To quote Greta Thunberg, who sparked this movement: “Our house is on fire, so we need to act like it is”. We need everyone to act like this is an emergency. We don’t want kind words and to be told we’re inspiring. Sure we need you to be inspired, but we also need you to act. It shouldn’t be left to us to sort out this mess. We’re young, we shouldn’t have the burden of the world on our shoulders.

We should be free to enjoy our childhoods and education. If we are to avert climate breakdown, you have to join us. Join our call for a Green New Deal, push for the change we need to see.

Join the movement, speak truth to power, challenge politicians and let’s forge a better world out of the wreckage of the one we’ve inherited.

Anna Taylor is the co-founder of UK Student Climate Network