On Monday 9th October, students from Years 12 and 13 met for our half termly Humanities Forum. The motion for this meet was ‘this Forum believes that for the benefit of the economy the government should abandon its net zero targets’. Alice (Year 13) spoke in favour of the motion and George (Year 13) opposed it.
Both students study Economics and were able to use their knowledge and a lot of additional research to present clear reasons in support of their side of the argument. Several themes emerged in their presentations, including the question of how best to tackle climate change, the economic and environmental impact of targets, and the need to prioritise tackling different
threats to society. George summed up his speech passionately, arguing that “the long run will always outweigh the short run” and stating that “net zero UK is a moral imperative”.
Both students spoke persuasively, demonstrating the quality of their research and communication skills and fielding questions with clarity and insight. It was an excellent opportunity to consider this essential and topical question, and the students in attendance were able to apply their understanding of Politics, History, Geography, Economics and Business to thinking about the issues in a multi-disciplinary setting.
The next Forum will be on Monday 13th November and will tackle the issue of immigration policy and human rights in light of the current case being considered by the Supreme Court.