The Queen On Climate Action
Through the years the Queen has expressed her support for Climate Change action which extends to the current COP26 initiative “It is perhaps fitting that you have come together in Glasgow, once the heartland of the industrial revolution, but now a place to address climate change.”
Working together
In 1969 the late Prince Phillip addressed an academic gathering and stated “If the world pollution situation is not critical at the moment, it is as certain as anything can be, the situation will become increasingly intolerable within a very short time.” This is something we now know all too well.
The Queen emphasised her support for COP26, and expressed her belief that the world leaders should come together when she stated “The world has the chance to join in the shared objective of creating a safer stable future for our people and for the planet on which we depend.”
She further demonstrated her hope for unity and the cooperation of nations tackling climate change head on when she said “When nations come together on common cause there is always room for hope.”
She also showed her pride towards the young people trying to make a difference when she said “I have drawn great comfort and inspiration from the relentless enthusiasm of people of all ages-especially the young-in calling for everyone to play their part.”
The political stance
In the Queen’s speech, she stated “It has sometimes been observed that what leaders do for their people today is government and politics. But what they do for the people of tomorrow – that is statesmanship.”
Her Majesty’s vision of the future is for everyone to “achieve true statesmanship”. This means that she hopes leaders will listen to the public and act on behalf of the people. In order for this to happen, she said that we must “rise above the politics of the moment”. The governmental rules and political decisions of today’s world should not get in the way of solving the crisis that, we all as one world, could face.
The Queen hopes that today’s politicians will listen to the voices of young people who are pleading for this crisis to be dealt with and is relying on them to have “answered the call of those future generations”. At the end of this summit, she wishes that these leaders will have “left this conference as a community of nations with a determination, a desire and a plan, to address the impact of climate change; and to recognise the time for words has now moved to the time for action”.
The Queen addressed the fact of human mortality and stated that “none of us will live forever”. We are all aware that not everyone here today will be able to witness the benefits of the actions that must be taken. However, she reminded everyone that “We are doing this not for ourselves; but for our children, and our children’s children and those who will follow in their footsteps.” If sufficient action is taken, the youth of today will be able to witness the incredible result in years to come. This is much better than worrying about what state our future will be in like we are at present and will allow young people like you to live in a healthier world in years to come.
By Lauren Anderson and Suzanne Neilan
