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Candidates: debate the climate emergency

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Noga Levy-Rapoport, petition, climate change, #YouthStrike4Climate movement, UK Student Climate Network, environmental emergency, Conservative Party leadership candidates, debate, We can’t have a Prime Minster who refuses to take responsibility for the UK’s part to play in this emergency.

Noga Levy-Rapoport has started a petition addressed to the ‘Conservative Party Leadership Candidates and 11 others’ calling on the Conservative leadership candidates to hold a debate on the current ecological and climate crisis.

Levy-Rapoport said: I’m 17 years old, and I’ve lived my whole life in an era defined by climate breakdown.

During my time on the planet, the world has experienced the hottest years on record. People have suffered the brutal effects of deadly storms, cyclones and other extreme weather in the same timeframe.

Report after report reveals the devastating consequences of inaction but our political leaders continue to ignore impending global environmental disaster.

In response, climate movements have exploded onto the scene, like the global ‘Fridays For Future’ demonstrations taking place every single week in hundreds of towns and cities around the world.

Here in the UK, we’ve seen the #YouthStrike4Climate movement, coordinated by the UK Student Climate Network, finally put the climate crisis at the forefront of our national conversation.

We understand there is an incredibly limited window of time to put in place the changes we know are necessary to address climate breakdown. And yet, we’re faced today with the very real prospect of the next Prime Minister caring little about the climate crisis and instead suggesting the problem is China or India, refusing to take responsibility for the UK’s part to play in this emergency.

We need the next Conservative party leader – whoever that may be – to have a bold action plan on climate change and the environment.

The results of the European elections have strongly indicated that voters don’t just care about Brexit, but also about climate change, and the leadership race should reflect that in full.

The youth strike movement may not be partisan, but the ecological crisis is a deeply political issue, and all parties need to show that they are ready to uphold their duty to both people and planet.

That’s why we’re calling for a commitment from the leadership contenders to hold a Conservative Party leadership debate on climate breakdown and their response to it.

We have a right to know how the potential Prime Minister will address the biggest challenge this country faces, the greatest threat we have ever faced as a global population, and it’s indisputably necessary that this is broadcast to the nation for all to see.

Sign the petition! Share, tweet, pressure and push. Demand an ecological and climate debate now!

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