The visit will be an opportunity for Mr Zeichner to hear directly from students about their concerns on climate change and why they have decided to get involved. Mr Zeichner will talk with them about what a future Labour Government will do to tackle climate change.
Mr Zeichner said: “I am very pleased to be meeting Ella and Samaya and to hear what encouraged them to get involved with the Youth Strike 4 Climate movement. Climate change is one of the most important issues facing the 21st century and with time running out, those in power now need to act quickly to get a grip on it.“
“Sadly, it is the school children of today that will be impacted most by climate change and it is only right that their voices are heard on this.“
“Last week, I asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, Michael Gove MP, to come and meet with young people like Ella and Samaya to which he agreed. I very much hope that we can make that happen soon because the Government could benefit from listening to these inspiring young people on this."
Ella Hone, age 11, said: "Climate change is important to me because it is my generation that’s going to get most affected by what is happening."
“If CO2 levels don’t drop off a cliff immediately, we’ll be seeing floods, crop failures, mass migration and wars over resources like land, food and water.“
“I got involved because my mum showed me Greta Thunberg’s TED talk, and I was shocked at how bad climate change was. I thought it was important, so I helped organise the first School Strike for Climate at my school.“
Samaya Hone, age 14, said: “Climate change is going to affect me in my life, it’s going to quite possibly make all life on earth extinct, it’s basically going to kill the planet.“
“The Government are the ones who are supposed to be protecting us – if they are not protecting us, then why should we listen to them? If they are not doing anything, then we have to. We didn’t create this mess, but we have inherited it – if they are not going to do anything about it, then we will have to.“
Youth Strike 4 Climate organised an event on Friday 15 February that saw thousands of children across the UK walk out of school in protest over the lack of action by Governments to address climate change. Several hundred young people in Cambridge participated in the strike, including Ella and Samaya.
Cambridge MP champions commitment of young people to tackle climate change
1 March 2019
Daniel Zeichner, Member of Parliament for Cambridge, will today (Friday 1 March) meet students from Chesterton Community College following their involvement with the recent Youth Strike 4 Climate, an event that saw hundreds of Cambridge students walk out of school.