Dear Presidents, Prime Ministers and Politicians,

I have a message from the young people of the world.

We believe that the future belongs to those who inherit it. We care about our shared environment and feel that it is time you do too.

We are not hippies, we don’t hug trees and we don’t chain ourselves to the gates of nuclear power plants. Nevertheless, we want to see a tougher stance on environmental protection. We want to see young people included in the sustainability agenda. We want change and we want to be included in the conversation.

Your children’s inheritance may be the family home, their memories of you or an heirloom. However, we beg that you never forget that your children's most significant inheritance will be feeling the effects of the decisions that you make today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. Decisions made about the planet aren't confined to your four years in office, but span generations. Please, always remember this.

Most people in this petition will have been told at some stage by a teacher the phrase "could do better". We just hope that the proverbial report cards that are your historical legacies are not tarnished by the same damning phrase.

From one "could do better" to another, we hope that you care.

Yours faithfully,