There is considerable concern about the upcoming season after the Tathra fire in autumn and the Bemboka fire in winter.

Last weekend, as huge winds hit the area, we saw more devastation as the Bemboka fire went out of control again and, at the time of writing, remains so with a number of homes lost.

Extreme weather events are taking their toll on farmers, the environment and those living close to the bushfire.

For a group of our young people, these events just highlight the issues of climate change we face.

As they point out, the future is theirs, but what kind of future will they inherit, they ask.

It’s a no-brainer for them; climate change exists, let’s stop debating it and move on to “taking affirmative action”.

They want to see politicians stop arguing, stop posturing and start to do what we elected them to do - represent us and our interests in running this country.

Lumen Christi teacher Wendy Mockler said youth was sick of adults not acting like adults.

Young people are not alone; we all are. We’re all sick of the politics of blame and troubled by the lack of original thought.

Young people’s clear-sightedness does them credit though. For them climate change is real and needs action through a non-partisan plan.

It also needs an energy policy, something sadly lacking from this and previous governments.

At a time when the vast majority of respected scientific opinion says climate change is real, we are getting bombarded with the noise of a few, head in the sand, deniers.

It’s time for the vast majority of not just scientists, but the public, to make their feelings known and what better way than to start by hearing from our young people.

We have an intelligent community that’s seeing climate change as a real threat to the beautiful environment in which they live.

In two years’ time they will be voting, but right now the group I spoke with could not identify any political party with which they wanted to be associated.

Take heed politicians - ask not for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.