Children don’t mince their words and hundreds of thousands of South African children will tell world leaders what they want them to do about the planet.  The kids’ main message is:  “Consider Us” … so that the world they live in will be habitable in years to come.

 Children between six and eighteen are being asked to explain, in 20 words, why world leaders should consider them when signing their climate change treaties. What is precious about our world? Why is it worth saving? These messages then appear, in real time, on a dedicated website, serving as a voice of the generation with the most to lose. A voice that grows louder every day as the virus spreads and the messages roll in.

 When 13 year-old Kiyan van Rensburg says: “We will make our ancestors proud. We will follow your example”, the pressure is on to set a suitable example.  And young Alexander Dickie makes a valid point when he asks: “If the earth doesn’t survive, who will?”

 A selection of the most hard-hitting, heart-rending messages will be collated in a book and delivered to heads of state at the Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen in December.  These world leaders will be asked to sign the book, which will constitute, effectively, a signed oath to heed the demands of children all over the world.

 Once signed, the book will travel back to Cape Town, South Africa, where it will be buried in a time capsule at a UN heritage site, to be opened twenty years from now. Let’s hope our actions today will stand up to scrutiny in 2029!

 The children’s Consider Us campaign begins in Africa and spearheads a global movement.  A groundswell of emotion, passion and genuine pleas is set to touch even the hardest hearts and, in its honesty and innocence, will challenge world leaders to listen to what the world’s children are telling them.    Most of the business leaders, environmentalists and heads of state – those who decide the world’s future when they thrash out a framework for the war on climate change – are middle aged.  This is one of the biggest challenges facing the issue because, while it’s commendable having the vision and urgency to act now, most of the people involved in this global rescue plan won’t be around to see whether it works or not. Their children will be around though, so if anyone should have a say in what the world will look like in a few years’ time, it should be them.

 There seems to be a genuine belief that Copenhagen can succeed where its predecessor, Kyoto, fell short.

 Parents, teachers and children are being encouraged to participate in the campaign so that these messages can be delivered to the world’s top money men in Cape Town next week so that they may take those messages on to Copenhagen.  If the finance world invests more responsibly, we can live in a better world. visit www.considerus.org to have your say.