I have listed below the main concerns that I have and that I hope the leaders of this country take action on our behalf to protect the future for all of our children.

The UK is not alone in facing these challenges and world leaders need to really think about the impacts they will have on generation, upon generation, for years to come. Recent events show us that the decisions of one person can significantly impact the lives of almost every person on the planet. This is not acceptable and leaders should be held to account. The working men and women of the world create the wealth but sadly do not get to keep much of it for themselves. The fear is that soon, the ability to work and access some of the benefits which come from earning their own wages will decrease.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) - It is recognised that there are benefits which can be gained from AI but there is a significant cost. There is the loss of employment for future generations that have already been born into this world, let alone those who may follow. AI is going to makes corporations richer and push more families into low income or poverty. There will be limited opportunities for children and young adults from families who are already struggling. It is odd that a main focus of government is to reduce unemployment, and yet they are introducing this new technology so widely without carrying out any risk or impact assessments. How is this going to change our society and will it actually be for the better? What ramifications are there on national security and personal safety? Progress should not come at any cost.

Energy Generation and Consumption - On the back of the increase in AI and our digital world, energy demand is soaring and so are the Data Centres, wind farms, battery storage sites, overhead lines and supporting infrastructure. The human cost and environmental impact are being ignored. Why have we not learnt the lesson from the waste accumulation and plastic pollution crisis? We only started recycling our waste at a very late stage. Why are we not looking at better data retention and deletion/destruction policies, both on a personal level and corporately? How many of us have inboxes full of emails we don’t actually ‘need’ and the size of junk emails and circulation lists – why should these be retained with details of a sale which was 4 years ago?

Why are we not encouraging circular systems with any new technology, especially the proposed energy generation? Why are data centres being allowed to take fresh water, pollute it and put it back into the environment? Why are we not considering the heat these centres will create and the impact on global warming and the local biodiversity surrounding the sites. Have we calculated impacts of reducing winds in one site and how it affects weather patterns? Do we think it is actually worth impacting agricultural output, when natural foods are already proving harder to produce and earn a living from? What impact will there be on crops grown around these facilities, will there be toxins or lesser nutritional value? The Impact on human health and livelihoods is again being ignored for corporate progress, and the greater good argument has not even been proven.

Conflict - Wars have been raged for capitalist greed and it doesn’t seem as though enough is being done to adequately discourage this practice. Is there no legal process we can follow to claim losses on behalf of our citizens or trade levies, some punitive action to make leaders in other countries consider their actions before taking them?

We all know oil prices have gone ‘up’ and so have the energy prices we pay, and other consumer markets have increased product prices to cover their costs, but the big energy companies are making double profits – this needs to be investigated. The consumer is being hit from all sides and there seems that corporations and their shareholders are falsely benefiting from the suffering of many.

My last main concern comes from the apparent lack of common courtesy and mutual respect which seems to have become the norm in society. Leaders of this country should start ‘leading’ as an example. MP’s behaviour in the Commons is not acceptable. You can have a debate, voice differing opinions, recognise differences without any need to escalate to the use of personal insults and slurs. It encourages division and less collaborative progress. You are doing the business of the country and serving the people; I think some members have forgotten that.

We are frightened for our children’s futures. If we take everything from the world today, there will be nothing left for the future, and it only leaves suffering. We have the power to reverse past mistakes and prevent making them in the present.

Regardless of political affiliation, every one of you can step back and ask what is best for society, what is best for the working man, what is best for the environment and what can we do to ensure a safe and healthy future for everyone. You should not let the few influence your decision when it will impact the many. You can’t eat money or drink poison and survive. This generation needs to take a stand.