The views of Dundee teenagers have been reflected in a major climate change report by the House of Lords.
Pupils from Grove Academy were given the unique opportunity to work with the Lords and hear their ideas raised in the chamber’s environment and climate change committee.
Their suggestions included traffic light labelling for goods to indicate the carbon footprint, similar to that for nutrition on food products.
Their opinions were then used to help construct a report which warns that the UK will not meet the 2050 net zero target without government intervention to change people’s behaviour.
Thomas Dawson, S5, from Broughty Ferry, said: “It was a big opportunity.
“It’s not often young people get the chance to speak to people in power and it was nice to be able to do that as an ambassador for the people of Grove.”
Grove Academy only school in Scotland involved in climate change report
Grove was one of only six schools in the UK selected to take part – and the only one in Scotland.
A group of 14 students volunteered to take part in a youth focus group learning about and discussing climate change.
They then came up with suggestions of how young people’s behaviour could be influenced to reduce climate change.
Harry Leadingham, S5, from Broughty Ferry, said: “We looked at what we do in our daily lives and what our families do, then on a wider scale at each problem and tried to find a solution.
“We thought about transport, food waste, food transport, air miles, carbon footprints.”
Natalie Kelly, S5, also from Broughty Ferry, added: “We looked at other countries and how they do things like recycling and thought about how we could replicate that here.
“We thought about adding tax to things based on how many air miles they had travelled and putting a traffic light system on goods showing their carbon footprint – similar to the nutrition system on food.”
The pupils also discussed social media influencers leading by example and spreading awareness of the effects of climate change.
They said Baroness Parminter, chair of the environment and climate change committee, welcomed their ideas.
Some of them feature in the final draft of the report along with the suggestions from other schools and focus groups.
The reports calls on the UK Government to learn from examples of where it has enabled behaviour change – including during the Covid-19 pandemic – to influence our travel, food and energy choices.
Baroness Parminter said: “After a summer of record temperatures, fires and hose pipe bans, it has never been more apparent that the twin crises of climate change and nature loss demand an immediate and sustained response.
“It is vital that young people have a voice in telling the Government what changes need to be made to ensure we achieve net zero by 2050.”
Pupils at Grove will continue to work with the committee until January as part of its youth engagement programme.
Conversation