COP26: 'Children are really concerned about their future'

Emma Powell is an accredited UN climate change teacher

Pupils at a school which has established an eco committee "are really concerned about their future", a teacher said.

Darlinghurst Academy, in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, has been recognised for its climate change work and has appointed monitors to check energy use.

The school has been awarded the Green Flag, the highest award in the global Eco-Schools programme.

Teacher Emma Powell said the children "want to act" on climate change.

The pupils carry out regular litter picks in and around their school

Ms Powell, the head of science and an accredited UN climate change teacher, teaches a climate change unit where pupils learn what could be done to protect the environment and tackle global warming.

The pupils also carry out litter picking in the school grounds and the surrounding area and then sort items for recycling, including soft plastics.

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Last month, two eco-committee members took part in a national children's parliament event, with 600 other school pupils, to discuss COP26 Glasgow climate summit.

To be awarded the Green Flag, the school must work on things such as reducing energy usage and improving biodiversity, as well as not using glitter in school.

Items in school and collected in the little picking are sorted for recycling

Ms Powell said the pupils "are really concerned about their future, about climate change, about pollution, about the damage that humans are causing to the environment".

She added: "It's my job to make sure their voices are heard.

"As a school we're doing everything we can to make small changes to protect their future."

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