14-year-old girl pleas in letter for Rutte to tackle climate change

Rosaline Leijdekker, a 14-year-old student from Heiloo, strongly asked Prime Minister Mark Rutte to take swift action against climate change. She said her future, and the future of hundreds of millions of others, is on the line.  

Leijdekker’s cautionary letter was published in NRC. “The scientists, who have been warning about unbelievably large climate problems for years, cannot pass laws. The only ones who can do something about our future are the governments”, the 14-year-old wrote.

The rising sea levels are an effect of global warming, and are irreversible, it was stated in the report published by the UN climate panel IPCC on Monday. For the Netherlands, this means an increase in flooding.

“You and your colleagues in the Tweede Kamer are the ones that can do something about this drastic problem”, Leijdekker said. “It is only my future but also the future of hundreds of millions of people all across the world. Their future is in danger because you want to save the economy, instead of the world.”

Leijdekker said that little attention is placed in her classes on climate change. “I hope that Rutte begins to understand”, the student said on NOS Radio 1 Journaal.

“Maybe he won’t be the one who has to live with these problems. But the new generation will and they are also his people.”