Queen Elizabeth’s School has joined the London Schools Eco Network – and a sixth-former has already played a leading role in supporting its work with his contributions to this month’s Youth Climate Summit.
Year 12’s Aadarsh Khimasia was QE’s delegate at the summit, a week-long series of lockdown-adapted virtual discussions and activities for primary and senior school pupils across the UK organised by the network to raise awareness of sustainability issues. Aadarsh subsequently took part in a Sustainable Innovation Forum, along with two other Summit Ambassadors.
“We presented five Climate Calls decided upon by the summit Finale to a wider group of international business and government representatives, hoping to see changes in business and laws in the near future to make our nation and the world more sustainable,” said Aadarsh.
After the forum, he was interviewed by Sky youth TV presenter, Ella Meeks, for the channel’s FYI Kids show: the interview was broadcast three times, including once on the main Sky News channel.
Aardarsh had also appealed for young people to lend their support when he appeared in the promotional video for the summit, organised under the slogan Transform our world.
QE Extra-curricular Enrichment Tutor Micah King said: “I’m incredibly proud of Aadarsh, who is using his talents in difficult circumstances to raise awareness of the climate crisis, and our role in combatting it.”
Coordinated by the charity Global Action Plan and supported by organisations such as Greenpeace, the WWF and Oxford University, the summit’s stated aim was to empower students to create a more sustainable and healthy future for the planet.
It was organised around three main themes: climate, social and racial justice; education, skills and careers, and health & wellbeing. Examples of the sessions held include one on Fast Fashion another on Careers in Conservation.
In the promotional video published last month, Aadarsh was one of only four young people selected to speak. He said: “We all call this planet home, meaning we all share the responsibility to safeguard it.
“Our earth is on the brink of irreversible damage putting us and millions of other species here at risk, but strides are being made in the right direction and we need you to help us along the way to a safer, healthier and more sustainable future.”
Aadarsh, who hopes to become a vet, teamed up with fellow delegate Andra, who is from a school in Belfast, to interview Caroline Lucas, former leader of the Green Party of England and Wales.
Afterwards, the summit host, Dr Jessica Tipton, who is Head of Sustainability and a languages teacher at St Paul’s Girls’ School, said to the pair: “That was absolutely fantastic, a massive well done for leading an informative yet relaxed interview with Caroline Lucas just now. [The] questions [were] great and you were really articulate in your responses.
“Aadarsh is really an excellent ambassador for the summit and your school! I’m so glad he’s got involved,” she added.