Dear Mr. Prime Minister, and all those it may concern,
Not long ago the UN backed a report about the global well-being of children. I’m 14 and I’m writing to say shame on you Mr. Prime Minister. “No country in the world is currently providing the conditions we need to support every child to grow up and have a healthy future,” said Anthony Costello, Professor of Global Health and Sustainability at University College London and one of the lead authors of the report. The report also warns that rich counties are jeopardizing the future of all children (not just those in their country), and it is that point of the report I wish to focus my letter on.
My name is Amelia Penney-Crocker, and I write you a letter every week about the Climate Crisis. Nelson Mandela once said that children are the greatest asset of the nation, and that “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul then how it treats its children.” The fact that no country in the world is doing enough for children is horrific, and as I child I am deeply disappointed in you and the other leaders of rich countries. If you are a leader of a rich country who refuses to act on climate change (or doesn’t do enough), you are willingly throwing the future of all children out the window. And that is nothing short of a crime against humanity, or more specifically, a crime against children. I would say that counties that are doing enough should punish those who aren’t (through economic sanctions and such), but as there are no countries doing enough that’s impossible. I mean honestly! I can’t believe this. No, actually I do believe it, I just wish that I still had enough hope not to.
Since I’ve started writing I’ve received two replies from your office, and neither have been terribly satisfactory. My demand in this letter is that you make a speech, first apologizing to children here in Canada and around the world, and second make commitments to fixing this serious issue. And please (and this is very important so read closely), actually do the stuff you promise. This report and your neglect of this issue have really made me want to throw in the towel and accept that I don’t have a future and no one cares.
I hope you’re having a wonderful day,
Amelia Penney-Crocker
P.S I hope you appreciate the certificate included with this letter. It was made by my fellow Haligonian activist Maren Mealey.
