Today, Friday 15 February, thousands of students from schools, colleges, and universities all around the UK will be going on strike, and I’m one of them. I’m taking part in the Youth Strike 4 Climate movement because I want to make a difference. I want my generation’s voice to be heard and listened to. We stand to lose the most from catastrophic climate change, yet we’re the ones who’ve been excluded from the most serious conversations.

I don’t believe that previous generations wanted to create a world that faces such catastrophe, but when confronted with the stark reality, many have pushed it to one side because it doesn’t seem an immediate threat. We can’t run down the clock on this issue. Twelve years – the amount of time climate scientists have given us to keep global warming in check – seems like a long time to me: it’s two-thirds of my life. But it’s no time at all to instigate the sort of radical change that we need. It scares me to think that my life could be defined so rigidly from so early on.

In the space of 12 years, we could have three separate governments, each with their own agendas. This issue cannot be one that is used for popularity contests, it’s one that requires immediate, unified and urgent action. Politicians are gambling with the future of all known life.

I’m often asked if I think my actions will make a difference. How can students skipping school change anything except our grades? Only time will tell, but what I do know is that the nation is suddenly talking about climate change again, and that’s because of our actions. Greta Thunberg’s individual action has shown we can get noticed, and conversations are starting. Imagine how much attention the climate crisis will get when thousands of us demand our right to a healthy planet and a future to look forward to.

‘Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg’s individual action has shown we can get noticed – and conversations are starting.’ Photograph: Tt News Agency/Reuters

I’m not striking because I know how to tackle climate change, I’m striking because I want the people with the power to do something to start addressing it. They need to listen to the scientists who have been warning us about climate change for years – and who understand how best to solve this mess. We’ve been called truants and snowflakes, but if we were really involved in this because we wanted a day off school, there are much easier ways to go about it. Standing in the cold, demanding that those in power take our futures seriously isn’t something we’re glad we have to do. I wish that the burden didn’t fall on any of our shoulders. We are being asked to write our epitaphs before most of us are even able to vote, but I refuse to be passive in the face of catastrophe.

Several of my friends and classmates are striking with me, and many who aren’t are supportive. We are aware that we will be skipping lessons for something that may not make a big difference – and we’re all conscious of how precious our education is. It’s only due to the severity of the issue that we are jeopardising it.

My college has been less than supportive, as it believes that there are better ways to make a difference than encouraging students to participate. I sent a college-wide email to let people know what I was doing and how they could get involved. I was quickly told by a staff member that I wasn’t allowed to use the college system to spread political messages. It saddened me that demanding a say in my future, and the future of all life on Earth, was regarded as a political message. Surely me doing nothing would be a breach of my duty of care for future generations, just as our leaders doing nothing now is a failure to live up to theirs?

I want the people in power to wake up, become leaders, and realise that they only have 12 years to change their legacies. The fact that the movement so far has received so much positive attention gives me hope that it will prompt change – because we need drastic and immediate action.

Even if the climate strike doesn’t prompt the change we need and demand, it has given so many young people across the country a chance to raise their voice and make it heard. This movement is allowing young people to realise they’re not alone, that others care about the climate, and are worried about the future. I will continue to raise awareness of the climate crisis, and I will continue to demand change – starting with the global school strike on Friday.

• Rosie Smart-Knight is a 17-year-old student