Young people have the chance to influence climate change strategy

Young people in Staffordshire have a ‘brilliant opportunity’ to influence how the county council tackles climate change.

The county council has teamed up with Staffordshire Council for Voluntary Youth Services (SCVYS) and the Staffordshire Youth Union, to get their views and ideas on what can be done to address climate change in the county.

And now, all three organisations are encouraging young people across the county to submit their ideas online, and think about what they can do themselves to help the county council’s aims of reducing Staffordshire’s carbon footprint.

After declaring a climate change emergency last year, the county council has set out four clear aims to address the issue in Staffordshire. These are:

Reduce carbon emissions Improve air quality Improve biodiversity and protect and enhance natural environment Increase recycling and reuse, and reduce waste Now, they are seeking the views of young people across the county on what can be done to tackle these issues.

County Councillor Conor Wileman, Cabinet Support Member for Environmental Future said: “This is a brilliant opportunity for young people to put their ideas to the county council, and for us to consider these plans and potentially put them into action. At the moment we have a draft plan, so we’re asking young people to have their say and potentially influence what our final plan looks like.

“It’s really important for us to listen to everyone’s views—it’s not just a case of what we as an organisation should be doing, but how the while county can solve the problem of climate change. By seeking out different people’s views we can make sure the plan we have is the best it can be, so we can all reduce climate change in the county.”

Anais Brindley, 17 from Tamworth and a member of Staffordshire Youth Union said: “Young people are so affected by the issue of climate change and it is exciting that we’ve been included and given the opportunity to influence the county council’s plans through this survey.”

Young people, any anyone with a view on climate change, can fill in the survey here.