A Vancouver-based environmental charity is making a satirical push to lower the voting age to eight to underscore the importance of protecting future generations from the effects of climate change. The David Suzuki Foundation launched the campaign Monday, dubbed “18 to 8,” with a website calling for voters to listen to young voices and “prioritize a livable climate over all other issues” in this fall’s election. “When you get into the voting booth on October 21, vote with your inner child,” the site reads. The group has also released a video that, while humorous, shows kids taking to the streets to protest against their extinction. The clip opens with two girls playing patty-cake, asking how many years they “have left.” “Climate scientists are saying we now have only 12 years left to act if we want to avoid catastrophic damage,” a boy says in the ad, referencing a 2018 report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change calling for dramatic action to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

David Suzuki Foundation/YouTube A screengrab of an "18 to 8" video from the David Suzuki Foundation.

The video also features cameos from several Canadian celebrities, including singers Chantal Kreviazuk, Serena Ryder, and Blue Rodeo’s Jim Cuddy, saying it’s time to “let the kids vote.” The David Suzuki Foundation said in a release that while the group does not actually want children to vote, they believe adults should vote with the best interests of young people in mind. “By suggesting eight-year-olds would vote with more wisdom than adults when it comes to prioritizing climate change, we are trying to playfully show that many adults simply are not giving climate change the attention it demands right now,” the foundation’s CEO, Stephen Cornish, said in the release. The group is also asking Canadians to sign a voter pledge demanding that, among other things, the next government ensures “a livable planet for our children” and implements a climate plan to meet Canada’s international commitments. Under the Paris climate accord, Canada committed to a 30 per cent cut in emissions from 2005 levels by 2030. Despite the pledge to reduce emissions, the government isn’t doing enough to combat climate change, according to the former environmental commissioner. Watch: Green Party Leader Elizabeth May delivers impassioned speech during climate debate