Rosemary Riley's Letter

To my Nephews, Nieces and Great Nephews,

I know that my nieces and nephews all understand something about climate change and its horrible impact on people all over the world - the people who produce so much of our food in places far from where we eat it; people whose farms are being laid waste by drought or washed away by floods; people who find that they can no longer grow their traditional crop because the weather is too hot or wet for it. That is why some of you have become vegetarians and I know that you also worry about over-use of plastic and fossil fuels. My Great-nephews are too young to understand this yet and I hope by the time they are older many of these issues will be being addressed in some way.

Last year I was thrilled when the UK led the way at COP26 in pledging support for the countries that need the most help to mitigate the impact of climate change. However, I'm now worried that there might be a back-pedalling on some of those commitments and so I'm writing this for your sakes, in the hope that our politicians will rediscover that resolve we saw last year and take the necessary steps to support those who need it most, not by dictating what they must do but by giving them the resources to do what they know needs doing. I want those politicians to do what's right here in this country by reducing our carbon emissions and our dependence on fossil fuels. I want them to be a beacon for the rest of the world, showing that even in hard times we can do the right thing.
I hope that in twenty years' time you'll be able to look back and see the turning point and look forward to a more sustainable, fair and secure future. I hope that you'll be able to enjoy coffee and tea and chocolate still, because the farmers are still able to produce them. And I hope that you'll carry on the campaign, because the fight against climate change won't be won in those 20 years.