Mackellar Teal Sophie Scamps awards School Strike 4 Climate Christopher Black on Northern Beaches
A teenage climate activist who became passionate about saving the planet when his family's holiday home almost burned down in the Black Summer has been recognised with a community service award by Independent MP Sophie Scamps. Christopher Black, 16, accepted a 'certificate of appreciation' from his local member Sophie Scamps for his efforts in tackling as part of the School Strike 4 Climate group. The teenager has long been an advocate of Dr Scamps - a local GP turned Independent MP for Mackellar on 's wealthy far northern beaches. He was recognised alongside a rural fire service member, feeding the advocate, and an industrial psychologist focused on the 'clean energy revolution' at an intimate ceremony held in Narrabeen for volunteer week. In April 2022, just weeks before the federal election, the teen was busted on CCTV using chalk to write climate messages outside the then-Liberal MP Jason Falinski's office. He wrote 'vote Jason Falinski out' and included some QR codes which accessed climate action resources. Mr Falinski, who lost to Dr Scamps - described the incident as an act of vandalism. He believed it was the work of activism groups Climate 200 and GetUp! - allegations Christopher denies. Christopher later said he acted alone and within the law. The teenager said he sought advice from local police to ensure he could use chalk on the footpath. 'It's pretty intense to be bullied in the media by your local member of parliament over chalking on the footpath,' he said at the time. 'I actually checked in with the police beforehand to make sure it was OK, and I've spoken to them again since to make sure that I didn't do anything wrong.' However, locals have told Daily Mail Australia it was a 'pretty bad look' for Dr Scamps to recognise Christopher for his volunteer work after he was involved so directly in opposing her rival. 'There are so many decent people throughout the electorate; nurses, firefighters, and instead she's giving it to this kid,' one said. The chalk involved was reportedly easy-wash and straightforward to remove. However, Dr Scamps did not know who was receiving the awards prior to the ceremony. A spokesperson for Dr Scamps said she 'sought nominations from community organisations to recognise the contribution of a volunteer'. 'The student was nominated by his community group for his contribution in raising awareness of climate justice and community organising. All the nominees were the choice of the community organisations.' Daily Mail Australia understands all nominees that were put forward were recognised during the ceremony. She was also asked what merits she considered when choosing who to recognise for a community service award. On Thursday, Dr Scamps shared a series of pictures on social media, captioned: 'A huge shout out to all the magnificent volunteers in our community. 'You are the glue that holds our world together - catching people when we fall through the gaps or are in distress; protecting our environment for future generations; mentoring young people to learn life and leadership skills; teaching older people new skills; creating joy and vibrancy in our lives.' Christopher was also involved in a confrontation with the CEOs of NAB and Commonwealth in May 2022, describing the sector as 'evil' and demanding an explanation into why the banks 'refuse to stop funding fossil fuels'. He said he was first motivated to act on climate change during the Black Summer bushfires. His family's holiday home in the Blue Mountains 'almost burnt down' during the megafires in the summer of 2019 and 2020. He said he began reading up on climate change and then in 2021 was caught 'in the middle of Cyclone Seroja' while on a holiday in Western Australia. 'A guy actually died 10 feet away from me. It was after that I realised that I needed to do more, so I got involved with School Strike 4 Climate,' he said. 'After that incident, my climate anxiety also got worse and has been wearing me down since. My school has flooded twice, and I couldn't go to school for three days. 'Climate disasters are getting worse and worse, and happening all of the time now.' Christopher said 'almost everyone' he knows 'has some degree of mental health struggle relating to climate'. He now refers to himself as a 'climate disaster survivor' who is in 'the fight for his future'.