Student eco-warriors speak up: Earth is dying

dubai — Young eco-warriors in the UAE and from around the world came together as a school group in Dubai kicked off a twoday virtual event on Saturday. Explaining the climate crisis and sharing their woes, they stood united in saying: ‘Our planet is dying, and no one is too young to do something about it’.

Hosted by GEMS Kindergarten Starters (KGS), the world’s first Schools Conference of Parties Expo (Scope) focused on environmental education, climate literacy and action. Over 35 schools worldwide are taking part in the inter-school forum that will be capped today.

Among the participants was nine-year-old Licypriya Kangujam, the world’s youngest environmental activist.

She reminded the forum of the melting glaciers in the Arctic, Australia’s bushfire, California’s wildfire, Amazon’s rainforest fire, as she pleaded with the attendees to go green.

“If you have to cut one tree, then plant a minimum of 10 to 20 trees... Trees are very important for our lives. They help us to control carbon emissions and greenhouse gas.

“The best gift you can give to your children are not expensive houses and cars but a beautiful planet,” said Licypriya.

Sixteen-year- old Leah Namugerwa, an eco-warrior from Uganda, shared how she has been trying to to turn birthdays into reminders to do something for Mother Nature. “In the last few years, I refused to cut any cake and refused to throw any birthday parties because my planet is dying. Instead, I decided to plant 500 trees. I have been trying to mobilise people who want to celebrate their birthdays the way I do.

Kifa Bukhari, Grade 3 student of KGS, said: “We need to stop believing that we are not the reason. We need to get together for our climate. Together we can save our planet.”

Asha Alexander, principal and CEO of (KGS), stressed that the future generations need to be given a stage to amplify their voice. “We need to ensure that our youth understand the scientific principles of climate science and are able to take responsible action for they are the future.

“The purpose of SCOPE-2020 is to empower students with high levels of climate change awareness and collaborative problemsolving skills.”

The best gift you can give to your children are not expensive houses and cars but a beautiful planet.” Licypriya Kangujam, youngest environmental activist