It was irresponsible to encourage strike action

Schoolchildren deserve to be taught some realities.

There is something weird about the way our children are being taught. It seems our children will know everything about gender fluidity and climate change, but will know nothing about the important role that coal plays across the world. Children obviously don’t know that without coal, there is no steel. To make a wind turbine requires the burning of coal.

Given that Australia’s carbon dioxide emissions are 1.3 per cent of global emissions, we have minimal effect on the amount of this gas in the atmosphere — even chief scientist Alan Finkel says if Australia ceased all emissions it wouldn’t make any difference globally.

John Burns, Hall, ACT

Your editorial supports schoolchildren taking action against bullies while decrying action against climate sceptics (“Let students take on bullies”, 15/3). Bullying is bad, but climate scepticism is worse. We have lived with school bullies since the beginning of organised schooling, but climate scepticism threatens our future.

We adults should not consider that schoolchildren are unaware of the threat. There have been proposals in recent times that 16-year-olds should be given the right to vote, due to the notion that they have to be considered as adults. School students’ climate action is born out of their understanding of environmental issues and concern for the future. We have a duty to support them.

Bill Mathew, Parkville, Vic

What are we teaching kids today? To be a bunch of virtue signallers? They go home in mum’s SUV after their strike to a heated house planing their next overseas trip while millions of Indians burn twigs and cow dung to cook dinner. What hypocrisy.

Joseph Vagunda, Taroona, Tas

There are parents, teachers and politicians who encourage schoolchildren to absent themselves from school to protest on climate change. They may think the issue justifies their stance. They’d be wrong; it’s a misguided and irresponsible attitude and should be stopped.

Attendance at school is considered vital for children and society. Most jurisdictions enact legislation that provides for the school to insist upon parents entering into a “compulsory school undertaking”. There is a misguided notion that a child has a right of non-attendance from school to express political views. No such right is imparted to children under Australian statutes or the common law.

Jerome Paul, Balmain, NSW

It is seems certain that Australian educational standards are in decline, in no small part related to poor teaching standards and to a curriculum loaded with social activism.

That teacher-initiated student strikes should take place comes as no surprise, even if it has resulted in a day without much-needed education.

Graham Pinn, Maroochydore, Qld

We are told that the children playing hooky from school have formed their own independent, informed opinions on the need to act on so-called climate change. Really? Everywhere in the world young people take on the particular agenda of their culture’s activist adults — whether it is the Young Pioneers, or protecting cows in India, throwing stones at the Israeli army, shouting “kill India” on the streets of Lahore, demanding regime change in Venezuela or attending a youth mass in Panama. The kids always believe they’re thinking for themselves, but the pattern says otherwise.

Julia Archer, Broadview, SA

The fundamental concern regarding the schoolchildren strike is not that they are taught to be environmentally conscious, but that the solution is simple. This is dangerous because solutions are driven by populism rather than good science and engineering. Reducing emissions is extremely complex because hydrocarbons are linked to every aspect of our lives.

Simple statements that renewables produce zero emissions are false. Renewables are manufactured and when installed need a backup support to supply power.

Australians are happy to ban gas exploration based on environmental concerns yet accept importing gas from overseas. We should educate our children to make them think critically so that they become immune to populism.

Don McMillan, Paddington, Qld