Young people from Drumbeg call for climate justice

Front row: Caroline Fairley, Fay Hatwell, Adam Hatwell, Middle row: Beth Pascu, Alice Nixon, Louise Hatwell, Back row: Youth workers Rachel Pascu and Kyle Houston

The six children, all members of Drumbeg Parish Youth Group, are using their voices to demand action on climate change that takes account of the needs of low-income countries when world leaders meet at the United Nations’ climate conference, COP26.

The young people and their leaders took part in a Christian Aid-organised action, making origami paper boats on which they wrote their hopes and prayers for the summit. The paper boats symbolise that although we are all in the same storm, we aren’t in the same boat when it comes to dealing with the impacts of climate change.

The Drumbeg paper boats will join a Christian Aid ‘flotilla’ of thousands of ‘little boats’ being displayed in a Glasgow cathedral to coincide with the crucial summit, representing growing public demands for urgent action to avert runaway climate change. Christian Aid Ireland Chief Executive Rosamond Bennett thanked the youngsters for sending a message to political leaders ahead of the Glasgow summit.