WE should all be concerned about climate change and do everything in our power to combat it.

Young people across the country will be attending planned protests today at 11am and as we live in a democracy they of course have every right to protest. It is after all their futures which are at stake in both the short and long-term.

The statistics on climate change make for alarming reading and it is only cohesive action across the generations which will slow the damage that is being caused. The message seems to be finally sinking in that if we carry on without taking the necessary action then we will continue to destroy the planet.

There are promising signs with a drive for everyone to rely less on fossil fuels and the successful campaign to slow down and hopefully ultimately stop the over-reliance on plastics which are causing so much damage to oceans.

The objectives of the protests taking place today are admirable, but there is one key issue... and that is they are taking place during school hours. Two schools in our region have already urged their students not to interrupt their studies in order to attend and Blatchington Mill School has even arranged for Peter Kyle, the Labour MP for Hove and Portslade, to come in and debate the issue with the students.

Education is a vital ingredient of any young person’s development and as well as studying the core subjects, an interest in politics and environmental issues often grows too.

The protests today show the passion that many young people have for environmental issues. But surely it could have been held at the weekend.