JAKARTA - He is only 11 years old, but Jude Walker already cares about saving the earth. Yes, Walker is campaigning to garner support from the British Parliament, related to the implementation of a carbon tax to address carbon emissions.
Inspired by another young activist, Greta Thunberg, Walker walks from Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire, through hills, rain and doubt along his 210-mile journey to the British Parliament in Westminster, central London.
Global warming is almost out of control and the world is sure to face further climate disturbances for decades, if not centuries, to come, the UN climate panel said this month.
While most political leaders and investors accept the science behind climate change, there are deep divisions about what must be done to stop it, how radical the response should be and who should pay for it.
Walker is clear, the carbon tax is an important step to slowing humanity's current path towards what he calls a dystopian world.
"We now know a lot more about climate change and I think a carbon tax will definitely be one of the most useful solutions for that," Walker told Reuters as he walked through Woburn Sands, a town about 50 miles (30 km) north of London. , as quoted Friday, August 13th.
He wants people to sign a petition calling for a carbon tax. Currently about 57,000 people have signed the petition. If it gets 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for debate by parliament.
In response to the petition, the UK said it was the first major economy to legislate for net zero emissions by 2050 and was committed to ensuring that polluters continue to pay for their emissions.
"The impacts of climate change are already visible. We really need to make changes now especially if you want to avoid devastating impacts later on."
Walker walks 10 miles a day, accompanied by family members or friends. He completed the walk at St James's Park, Newcastle on Saturday.
Ahead of the UN climate conference, known as COP26, in Scotland in November, Walker called for serious action to slow climate change.
"This will just be a dystopian world unless this summit doesn't go according to plan. We can avoid disaster," he said.
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