Climate sceptics are blind to the reality of changing weather, says Matthew Quinn

Looking towards the future is a natural instinct for all of us as human beings and that is particularly true for young people.

The current crop of young people look toward the future and hope for very similar things that previous generations did: security, stability and progress.

However, the very real threat that climate change poses to our planet and to our people makes the future seem a whole lot more uncertain for today’s young people.

When I selected the topic of climate change to discuss in this column, I immediately hesitated. This is because I could instantaneously envision the dismissive comments of climate-sceptics who tend to occupy older age brackets within our society.

I could also predict the politically-motivated backlash from people who feel that public money is being ‘wasted’ in the pursuit of net zero (the point where the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced is equal to the amount removed from the atmosphere).

READ MORE:

• Weather extremes show we need to adapt to changing climate, says Inverclyde MSP

• Thriving Fergusons yard ‘shouldn’t be the end of Inverclyde’s marine ambition’

• UK Government has backed Ferguson Marine — now SNP must do the same, says MP

• If we hide from the news we’ll only repeat the mistakes of the past, says Amy Shearer

• Andy Ritchie on Wimbledon, referees and why sport isn’t everything

However, I wish to put forward the alternative case — the case that is, in my experience, the settled will of young people.

Addressing climate change and pursuing net zero are not just political choices; they are morally and practically imperative.

Climate change is here. It can be seen by the consistent heatwaves that the UK now experiences every summer, the extreme flooding that has occurred in recent years, and the rise in the number of natural disasters across the world.

Rising temperatures aren’t the only indicator of climate change, with extreme weather events such as flash floods also becoming increasingly common. (Image: Unsplash.com) There is a common misconception about climate change: the planet is not merely getting hotter. The reality is that weather is becoming more extreme. In all seasons and in all continents.

My argument, young people’s argument, in favour of increased investment in combatting climate change is principally an economic argument.

The cost of doing nothing is significantly higher than the current public expenditure on climate-based matters.

Firstly, extreme weather events cause damage which has a financial cost. Events such as floods can damage people’s property.

Matthew Quinn (Image: George Munro) Secondly, climate change can affect our global food supply which leads to increases food costs at the supermarket. For example, last year a climate change-induced olive oil shortage led to significant increases in the price of olive oil, directly affecting consumers here in Inverclyde.

Finally, climate change could lead us to a point where parts of our world become uninhabitable. In this extreme scenario, it would not be unreasonable to expect that people would leave their home countries in pursuit of more sustainable national climates.

Increased migration to this country would have a financial cost which we would have to account for.

Matthew Quinn says that young people across the world are correct in viewing net zero not as a political choice but as a moral and practical imperative in the face of our changing climate. (Image: Unsplash.com) These economic arguments in favour of action on climate change is what I believe will eventually persuade more people of the moral and practical imperative of net zero.

The topic of climate change has, for far too long, been used as a political football with bad faith actors on both sides. It is clear for all to see that our climate is changing, and it is not for the better.

The time is running out: for my generation and generations to come.