Pupils at New Forest school interview top climate change expert

Pupils at a New Milton school interviewed a leading climate change expert.

The Ballard School eco-ambassadors, the youngest of whom were seven years old, spoke with marine scientist Professor Matt Frost at the COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion 2025.

The professor was attending the 30th UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, when he was interviewed by the children.

The youngsters asked questions about the environmental impact of COP events, and the role of private companies in reducing single-use plastics.

They also questioned Professor Frost on whale-friendly cruise routes, and the effects of carbon capture and storage beneath the seabed.

The professor, head of the international office at Plymouth Marine Laboratory, praised the children, describing them as “an amazing group” with “excellent questions”.

Dr Gemma Connell, who chaired the event, concluded the 30-minute session by calling the young eco-ambassadors “the next wave of changemakers”.

Young eco-ambassadors praised for insightful climate questions at global summit (Image: Supplied)

The children were the youngest participants in the Virtual Ocean Pavilion, with others aged between 16 and 25.

Alex Bellars, one of the Ballard teachers running the Eco-Ambassadors programme, said: “The professor, who was answering their questions, and Dr Gemma Connell, who curated the event, were blown away by the quality of our pupils’ questions and how poised the children were.

“I think they sensed that the children were genuinely motivated to secure the future of the planet.”

The interview with Professor Frost was arranged through the school’s link to conservation charity Ocean Generation, via Ballard alumna Liberty Denman, a marine biologist who spoke at the school earlier this year.

Headmaster Andrew McCleave said: “This was an incredible opportunity for our pupils to engage directly with a leading expert at a major international climate summit.

“We’re so proud of how thoughtful and confident they were throughout the interview, and of the example they set as young environmental leaders within our school community.”

The virtual ocean pavilion is an initiative launched at COP26, aiming to highlight the role of the ocean in climate action.

The children asked Professor Frost what message he would like them to bring back to the Ballard community.

He asked them to share “how amazing the ocean is” and the importance of looking after it, adding: “When the ocean is healthy, then we’re healthy.”