Voices is the Dorset Echo's weekly youth page - written for young people by young people.

In response to many of the comments made about the Strike 4 climate that took place on Friday, February 15, I am speaking on behalf of those that took part in our collective strike.

Firstly, we do not simply wish to 'bunk off', we want the government to declare a state of emergency on climate change. We are taking action where others do not wish to, whether we like it or not, as most of the adults in the government at the moment will not be here at the end of the process. We will have to live with the consequences of others, and our own, actions.

Our generation is the first to be promptly educated on climate change, meaning we are constantly aware of it. There are large amounts of credible evidence on climate change. People are affected by it all around the world, such as in Bangladesh, where their houses have been swept away by the rising sea levels, or in Hong Kong, where children are forced to wear pollution masks in their daily lives.

People may see these as wild assumptions but we see this as the future we are going to be living in if we do not take action now. This is why we need to change our lifestyle, listen to one another, and band together as a united front against climate change, ignoring the hostilities of others.

Owen Davies