They were prepared. They made suggestions that are worth considering. They asked pertinent questions that put politicians in a corner.

They are the students who last Tuesday took part in the Ekoskola session that was held at the House of Representatives, and attended by various Cabinet members and MPs from both sides of the House. The event was part of activities that coincide with Environment Week, celebrated in the first week of June.

For the fourth year running, the students met in a “parliamentary” session to give their views, share their ideas and, why not, criticise what they think adults are doing wrong when it comes to the protection of the environment.

And it was good to notice that these students were well-versed in the subjects they brought up, did their homework well and presented their suggestions after carrying out research on the matter. They were an example that all parliamentarians ought to follow – unfortunately, there have been several occasions when MPs went around in circles and never got to the point, making it evident that they were unprepared to talk about the subject they were dealing with.

The topic that was on the agenda last Tuesday was climate change and other environmental problems that need to be tackled immediately by governments so as to safeguard Planet Earth. It is a matter of serious concern to the younger generations of today, who have to bank on what adults are doing in order to have a better world to live in.

Are politicians doing enough to combat climate change? Are they working hard to protect the environment? There is a lot of talk, yes, but little action, and the youngsters who spoke in the House last Tuesday made it very clear that they want less of the former and more of the latter.

After all, as they rightly pointed out, the students’ future depends on decisions that are taken now. It is up to the politicians to act as quickly as they can to provide a better world to live in – for the present and the future generations.

The students mentioned several concerns – the use of plastic bottles, which “is leading to an increase and multiplication of garbage”; waste of electricity in schools, public places and homes; and the need to reduce emissions.

But they did not stop at criticising. They made suggestions too. For example, a better public transport system was proposed so as to have fewer cars on the road, the construction of small reverse osmosis plants for hotels located close to beaches and the installation of cats’ eyes so as to reduce the amount of lighting that is needed in roads.

Generally speaking, the younger generations of today seem to have a better grasp of the environmental situation than adults. This stems from the fact that schools are today going to great lengths in instilling greater awareness about the environment, something that did not exist in schools 20 or 40 years ago.

This is already a positive step as children can themselves influence their parents and other relatives in behaving better by, for example, separating waste and not disposing of unwanted material in the streets.

Exercises such as that which took place last Tuesday ought to be held on a more regular basis. This is to give as many students as possible the chance to experience such a situation and put forward their own ideas which, on the whole, should be given due consideration by the authorities.

It would be a real pity if the valid contribution that these youngsters want to make were to go astray after all the hard work they have put in.