Young people in Leeds are planning to skip school and stage a demonstration ahead of the General Election, so they can call on voters to back candidates who are committed to tackling climate change.
Thousands of students in Leeds and other towns and cities around the world have walked out of classes to call for urgent action on climate change in recent months, as part of the Youth Strike 4 Climate movement.
They are now planning another strike on Friday, November 29, ahead of the General Election, to urge voters to elect environmentalists and call on the government to lower the voting age to 16.
In a statement, the organisers said: "The urgency of electing a government ready to take the action required could not be clearer.
"The devastating floods that have hit Yorkshire in the past few weeks offer a grim reminder of the climate crisis in the UK, with large floods becoming more frequent as the climate changes.
"Not only has the government failed to begin reducing emissions in line with their own targets, they are also failing to prepare for the impacts of climate change that are already locked in.
"The Committee on Climate Change compared preparations for flash floods and heatwaves to ‘Dad’s Army’ in their annual report as the government’s advisory committee.
"As the UK’s general election draws near, the YouthStrike4Climate movement will avoid endorsing any particular political party.
"Instead, they will take to the streets en masse to draw attention to the climate crisis, and urge voters to consider this most burning issue when casting their vote."
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