A COMPOSER from Hove is teaming up with Greta Thunberg’s group to release an anthem for the next wave of climate strikes.

Ellie Wyatt has written a song called “Long Forgotten Road” for the Global Day of Climate Action on September 25.

The new song is a positive and upbeat tune about hope for the future in the face of the climate crisis.

In the past, Ellie has scored several Cbeebies shows and won a Bafta for a song she wrote for the children’s series Tee and Mo.

Sung by Swiss pop star Scilla Hess and produced by Jonathan Owusu-Yianomah, the new track is now available on Spotify. It is a not-for-profit release, calling on governments to act on the climate and ecological emergency.

The video will be released on September 18. It has been made in conjunction with youth climate groups from all around the world, including Greta Thunberg’s Fridays For Future, and contains footage of youth climate strikes on different continents and young people lip-syncing to the track.

Ellie said: “I became a serious climate activist when I became a mum.

“I couldn’t understand why I was reading about rising emissions, melting Arctic ice, ongoing Amazonian deforestation and increasingly turbulent weather all around the world – and yet not seeing an emergency government response.

“There seemed to be a serious disconnect between the climate science and the political reaction.

“I grew increasingly worried about the world being left to my daughter and her generation. I also became aware that there are families and children already suffering from the climate emergency, for example in Polynesian islands threatened by rising sea levels, in sub-Saharan countries struggling with drought and throughout equatorial regions zones, where hurricanes are becoming increasingly violent.

“As a parent, I find the whole situation unbelievable. What about the world’s children? Their futures are dependent upon us doing everything we can to mitigate the worst of this crisis – which should include making ecocide an international crime.”

Ellie said she was tired with “government apathy and procrastination” – but said it was important to remain positive.

“Long Forgotten Road is an upbeat, unifying and empowering anthem for all young people anxious about what is happening to their world. The message is that it is time to make new rules and tell a new story.”

Lauren Rutter from Brighton stars in the video. The 16-year-old said: “Climate action is something I’ve been doing since I was seven, and yet, at 16 I’m still out on the streets begging for change.

“I joined the youth climate strikes in Brighton from the start, but made it clear to my school that, like Greta Thunberg, I would continue working hard at achieving good grades, even if I was striking.

“Politicians, chief executives and world leaders have made little to no real effort in achieving climate justice. We want system change, not climate change. We can’t go on the way we are. The pandemic has shown that we can, and must, change the way we live.”