When I arrived in London I felt as though I had been wrapped up in cotton wool and hidden away from the world for my entire life and then suddenly set free. The city was exceptionally big and diverse, with a rich culture and a history that reaches back thousands of years before Australia was even a country. I loved everything about the experience – the constant throng of people, the shopping, the site-seeing, the fact that there were so many different mingling cultures and languages spoken within the city, the beautiful old buildings, the incredibly organised public transport… it may not be home to me, but it was an experience I’ll certainly never forget.

Yet, better than the city were the people that I met. Talking to people my age from all over the world and discovering just how common our interests are was amazing and I had such a great time. I was thrilled to hear so many points of view on the topic of global warming and to discuss issues on a much larger scale than I ever have back home.

I also felt slightly angry while at the conference. Angry that the measures that London is taking to reduce global warming aren’t being followed back here in Australia, or indeed in many places around the world. What does it take to make people wake up to reality?

Now that I’m home I feel like I’m on a mission, a mission to bring Australia to its senses and push it into action. I’m afraid that it might take a million deaths before people realise of their own accord what is happening to the planet. I don’t want that to happen and I’m going to do anything in my power to stop it.