Nowadays, more than ever, climate change and global warming have become topics at the forefront of our minds, especially due to the recent climate conference, COP26. It is a topic that is forever growing in importance and according to recent statistics little time is left to fix it before the effects of climate change become irreversible. This is why doing our part now is so vital. We should be a part of the solution rather than part of the problem.

The recent summit in October, COP26, was the biggest summit the UK has ever hosted. It was a global United Nations event in which 200 world leaders attended to discuss how they will tackle climate change. Due to the past decade being the warmest on record, governments from around the world agreed that urgent action is needed. COP26 resulted in India planning to have 50% renewable energy by 2030 and various other countries such as China realising how large the issue at hand is.

Already at the College, various initiatives have been set up to help in the battle of global warming with plans made to take further action. During the recent annual event of Remembrance Day, poppies were made out of plastic bottles in a way to reuse and recycle. Also, a new herb garden has been started by the Food Tech department with 400 trees soon to be planted. This will allow the students to cook with food sourced from their garden and decrease the carbon footprints of their meals.

To plan future green ideas the Student Council pupils mentioned starting an Eco club at the school, consisting of people who are passionate about climate change and making the College a more eco-friendly place. Sixth Form Prefect, Jocasta Cox who is very enthusiastic about tackling this issue will run this Eco initiative and lead the way for the rest of the school. This will be student led and be composed of one person from each year. She plans to join the national initiative of Eco Schools, in which bronze, silver and gold awards can be obtained depending on different environmental achievements at our school.

The damage caused by Climate Change will have an international effect, so helping now is essential to the future of the world and future generations. As pupils of Queens College we hope to set a green example not only to the rest of our generation but to the entire community. 

–  Jenny Thurstan, Year 13