Members of the Coláiste Éinde Secondary School student council in Galway City call on the Irish government to follow through on their promise to listen to and help the young people of Ireland.    

In recognition of the genuine concerns that the youth of this country have around the impact of climate change, we propose that the government would, as a Christmas gift, plant a native tree for every school child in the Republic of Ireland, at a single site, creating a new national forest - 'Foraois na bPáistí'.   

Native trees cover just 2% of land in this country, the lowest in the European Union. The government, through Coillte, own nearly one million acres of land or 7% of our land area. This can be done, and done today. Trees are our best solution to the reduction of CO2 in the atmosphere. We need the growth of indigenous trees to spread throughout Ireland, in order to boost our biodiversity and to protect our unique eco-systems.    

By doing this, the government would be acknowledging the need for action and would be working with, and promising a future for, the youth of Ireland. There are 823,000 students in primary and secondary level education in Ireland. These students are future voters and the leaders of tomorrow. It’s time to plant a future for Ireland and the planet.