More than 70 young students made a pledge to create a healthier planet on Wednesday.
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Students travelled from far and wide to take part in the Youth Parliament on Climate Action in Launceston.
The one-day summit, run through the Australian Youth Climate Coalition’s Switched on Schools program, gave Tasmanians the opportunity to hear from speakers and learn more about climate change.
They also used the day to build their leadership skills so in the future, they could develop and run climate campaigns in their own schools and communities.
Brooks High School year 9 student Edin Brady, 15, said the day was all about making sure Tasmanian schools showed their dedication to the environment.
“Today has been really awesome. It’s a really life-changing experience,” Edin said.
“I’ve never really thought about the environment and global warming until I came today and it’s just made me so much more aware of what’s going on.
“Today has made me want to make a change in my own school.”
The students spent the day studying different ways to improve our environment, such as using solar panels.
“With the amount of schools that came today, it’s easier to get our message across,” Edin said.
“In the end, we all agreed to try and repower our school in an environmentally-friendly way.”
The event also touched on the impact climate change is having on those who are vulnerable internationally and the impact it can have on communities around the world.
AYCC national school program coordinator Laura Sykes said it was exciting to see students learning different skills to create change in their schools.
“The students planned a sustainability campaign that they can use to take action on climate change in their local communities,” Ms Sykes said.
“It’s our future that’s at stake and it’s our young people that have the tools to take action.
“These young people are so inspiring because they know that if we don’t take action now, our planet is going to have irreversible damage.”
Students from Launceston, St Patrick’s, Scotch Oakburn, Don and St Brendan-Shaw colleges and Riverside and Brooks high schools all attended the event.
