This Friday, the 15th of March 2019, the students across the world are going on a strike. The goal is to wake up their politicians to the tasks ahead: we aren’t doing enough for our future, our world’s sustainability is not ensured, the climate is changing and we are simply not putting in enough effort to sufficiently minimize that change.

In my opinion, this grassroot movement, where our young kids are finally taking interest in something else but Fortnite, namely to secure their own future, could be a game changer. In order to support this movement, I was invited yesterday to one of the schools in Luxembourg, Lycee Technique Joseph Bech in Grevenmacher, and spent two hours presenting the climate change problem, why actions are too limited, what can and should be done, and why it is of utmost importance to especially strike in countries such as Luxembourg, and I took some time to discuss with the students. On Thursday I will do the same in Fieldgen, another school in the city of Luxembourg. So far the response has been very encouraging and the students are now far more motivated to go out and take their future in their own hands. Thus, I can only motivate everyone out there to explain their students the reasons for the strike, and the need of going out to show that even if the politicians don’t think this is an important enough problem, the young generation knows it is one.

According to the latest scientific research, the current climate action of all countries combined would imply a warming of around 3.4°C (above the pre-industrial level) by the end of the century. However, 1.5°C warming is what is currently considered to be a safe, acceptable level of warming. Without a significant change in the politicians’ attitude towards climate change and without a substantial change in their willingness to act, we are likely to see temperature increases that lead to unforeseeable consequences for life on planet Earth.

I can only reiterate a quote that has been attributed to the Dalai Lama: “If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping in the same room with a mosquito.” Thus, students across the world, do not believe you are too small to make a change. Go and be that mosquito in the eyes of your politicians.