At Compass, we value the voice of our children. We’re proud to place child welfare at the heart of everything we do.
However, we also understand that for our children to make the most of their futures, action must be taken to preserve the planet and combat climate change.
April is our Sustainability Month. Throughout the month, we’ve been looking at the impact that climate change has on young people. We’ve also been looking at different ways our community can reduce their carbon footprint and help preserve the planet.
As our Sustainability Month draws to a close, we thought we’d take the time to speak to some of our young people about climate change crisis and its real impact. We asked them their thoughts on the future, and the impacts of climate change on the world.
Some of our young people chose to speak to us in person (please see our climate change video above), and some wrote to us with their thoughts (below).
This is what they said.
What Does Climate Change Mean to You?
“Climate change is very important as it’s caused by a major gas in the sky. This is important as it’s like a blanket over the earth. It’s making the cooler places vulnerable as its destroying animals’ habitats. This will cause extinction which is not good for the planet.”
“The earth is getting hotter, this affects everything. The sea and the icebergs which will melt, and the sea will take over some land.”
“In the future I know that there could be very extensive issues regarding the land and sea levels. This will cause floods as well which will destroy homes and will cause refugees. This is really bad as we eventually will not have enough space in the world for 7.6 billion people and rising.”
When You Think of The Future, What Does the World Look Like?
“I think there will be a lot of droughts and islands will be swallowed by the ocean. Also, there may be incredible devastating changes of time length in seasons.”
“In the future we might all drive electric cars and power turbines driven by wind. Houses will have solar panel on the roofs to get their energy and electric cars being charged at supermarkets and other points will be a common sight.”
“The climate is going to get hotter which will affect the whole planet and the melting of ice caps.”
How Does Climate Change Affect People and Animals Around The World?
“Rain forests are becoming extinct, which is affecting the animals on the planet. There are also more forest fires because of the rise in the earth’s temperature which are killing precious forests and their habitat.”
“The rise in temperature is causing droughts in some countries, like in third world countries who already suffer from food shortages.”
“In the future I know that there could be very extensive issues regarding the land and sea levels. This will cause floods as well which will destroy homes and will cause refugees.”
How Does Climate Change Affect You and Your Future?
“I’m not really sure but I think it could mess up my job and the vehicles I use. It could end up were humanity ends from the rising sea.”
“If the ozone layer was to collapse this would have a huge effect on the planet and the sun would pass harmful rays to us increasing in skin cancer to adults and eventually this could wipe out life on the planet.”
“I think we eventually will not have enough space in the world for 7.6 billion people and increasing population.”
If You Could Say One Thing to Older People About Climate Change, What Would You Say?
“I’d persuade them to agree and make a difference like Greta Thunberg. I would also make a huge difference myself.”
“Older people could be blamed for the damage done to the planet. Maybe older people need to be a bit more educated on the way they can change and make small changes like recycling, using less energy. “
“Plant more trees and cut down on the number of flights to cut down on the CO2 emissions.”
We are so pleased to see our young people engaging in discussions about climate change and raising some excellent and insightful points.
As our Sustainability month wraps up, we’d like to remind our community that even the smallest changes make a big difference. Making small sustainable swaps in day-to-day life and around the home is a great place to start.
A healthy planet is essential for the future of our children, which is why we are committed to promoting fair and sustainable practices across our organisation. You can more about read about our ESG Report here.
Check out some of our other articles from our Sustainability Month.
