Dear Mr. Prime Minister, and all those it may concern,
My name is Amelia Penney-Crocker, I’m a fourteen year old from Nova Scotia and every week I write you a letter about the climate crisis. This week my letter is very simple. Because of the COVID-19 crisis, me and my fellow activist cannot take to the streets. Instead, many of us have taken our calls to action online, by posting pictures of our protest signs. I doubt you have the time to read all these signs so I’m going to highlight some of my favourites here. They may only seem like small catchy phrases, but they are the pleas of an entire generation.
-You say we are the future, make sure there is one (This is my sign!)
-There is no planet B
-The oceans are rising and so are we
-You’ll die of old age, we’ll die of climate change (I read this as: “You’ll die of old age, we’ll die from your inaction on climate change” this signs doesn’t need to be true, but I’m getting increasingly worried it will be)
-We’re missing our lesson to teach you one
-Act now, or swim later
-What I stand for is what I stand on
-Climate Change is bad for the economy (Very true. It’s also threatening global peace and people’s health.)
-We raced to the moon, now let’s race for clean energy (I love this one because it’s so true! We didn’t need to get to the moon, but we did, because we had the will. We poured so much money into it and everyone got behind it. But now we need clean energy, and yet the will and money don’t seem to be there.)
-Planet over Profit
-The dinosaurs didn’t see the asteroid coming, what’s our excuses? (That’s a Neil deGrasse Tyson quote if you didn’t know)
-System change, not climate change
-History has its eyes on you (Ever heard Hamilton the musical. It’s a masterpiece by Lin Manuel Miranda. This is a line from Hamilton.)
-The climate is changing, why aren’t we?
-All I want for Christmas is Climate Justice
-Climate Change = Human extinction (Again, what you do today decides if this becomes true tomorrow.)
-Indigenous Sovereignty is Climate Action (You say you support reconciliation, so give Indigenous people, and their land and water the respect they deserve.)
-You can ignore us, but you’ll regret it
Thank you for reading! I know you’re very busy with the COVID-19 crisis, but remember that the world will not give us a break from climate change just because we’re in the middle a another crisis, just like you won’t get a break from my letters.
I hope you’re having a wonderful day!
Amelia Penney-Crocker