Telling ourselves we have no role to play in climate change is rubbish  

We cannot absolve ourselves as individuals and see climate change as a problem for governments to fix. We need to change our ways and it starts with education — from pre-schoolers on

Mae Weir, from Dromahair in Letrim, a member of youth organisation Foróige, addressed the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Environment and Climate Action in the Seanad earlier this year.

Why is it that we all know climate change is real, and that tackling it is something we must do, yet we don’t act? Could it be that we are the problem? 

I’ve noticed that we constantly try to absolve ourselves by belittling the impact we as individuals can make. We see it as a problem for governments to fix. Unfortunately, the meagre progress made so far cannot keep up with our rapidly deteriorating situation.