Bronwen Mitchell (aged 11) a schoolgirl from Kellington near Goole, has written to Rishi Sunak to express her concern about the climate crisis – and it would seem she has a better handle on the urgency of the situation than Graham Stuart (aged 60) MP for Beverley and Holderness and Minister of State for Climate.
She wrote the letter around the same time that Mr Stuart was stating that not all fossil fuels were the “spawn of the devil”, that a fresh round of oil and gas licensing was “good for the environment” and that climate change sceptics shouldn’t be “pushed out of the conversation”.
Her letter, reproduced below, shows that even at her tender age, she has a very good understanding of the carbon crisis, the importance of preserving and planting trees, the damage being done by pollution, and the folly of prioritising growing the economy over preserving the planet.
Her father, Stuart, a member of Selby Green Party, was so impressed with what his daughter had written that he shared her letter with other local members. Arnold Warneken, Green Party member of North Yorkshire Council said ‘Mr Sunak would be better off listening to young Bronwen than his Minister for Climate’.
Bronwen’s letter in full:
Dear Prime Minister, I am writing to you to express my concern on what we are doing for the planet in this moment of time. I have seen the impact of what we are doing to the planet through recent catastrophic events, such as fatal flooding, and swelteringly hot heatwaves. This is because of the pollution we produce from factories, cars and many other everyday happenings around the world. I think we should do something more about it. I know that we have done many things to help the planet, but I believe we can do much, much more. We could plant more trees in unused areas of land, creating a haven of life, and locking away tonnes of carbon in the soil. A recent study has shown that trees lock away much more carbon than has been thought than ever before. Empty, unused houses can be turned into modern homes for living in by using the money that is used to build new houses to fix problems and refurbish them. There is an estimated 280,000 long-term empty homes in the UK alone. As well as that, other plots of land can be turned into free places for homeless people to live while they are trying to get a good job and income. This means there will be less people on the streets. I hope we can achieve net zero by 2030 as well. By planting trees in unused public places we can help lock away carbon and lower the rising temperatures in our atmosphere. As well as that it can help make the air cleaner and a better place to live. It can also lower chances of children living in cities getting asthma from car fumes. If breathed in at large quantities you can get carbon monoxide poisoning. Trees help in many ways, and we need to look after them. The UK is Europe’s third worst country for woodland coverage. We have only 2% of ancient woodland left. This is devastating to hear, as ancient woodlands hold tonnes of carbon, and cutting them down releases all the carbon that is stored. They will not replenish in time to help the current state of the world, as they take up to 500 years to develop. This means we are destroying amazing havens of wildlife, and destroying animals much loved homes. We are killing our lifeline and we will be the cause. I know that your promises to the UK were to rebuild the economy, but if we do not take care of the main problem, the welfare of the planet, there will be no economy, and the planet we reside on will turn into a dystopia, it will turn into a place that speaks death, not life. We need to do something major soon, or else the world will fall into incurable disrepair and it will be all our fault. I hope you will read this and take heed of my plea to do something good for the world, for us.
Yours Sincerely,
Bronwen Mitchell, aged 11