Uncertainty about our future has increased as a result of climate change. As its effects worsen over time, one thing is certain: we will leave the Earth to today’s children and youth, as well as future generations.
The world now has 1.8 billion young people aged 10 to 24 — the largest generation of youth in history. Young people are becoming more aware of the challenges and risks posed by the climate crisis, as well as the opportunity to achieve sustainable development provided by a climate change solution.
The unprecedented mobilisation of young people around the world demonstrates the enormous power they have to hold decision-makers accountable. Their message is clear: the older generation failed, and the young will pay the price — with their very lives.
Most of us believe that we have the little to no ability to impact the devastating effects of climate change right now, but we will be the ones to bear the burden of its long-term consequences. So we must get up and start to change things, even in the littlest of ways.
Here’s some ways, we can start:
Don’t wait to be heard, be loud, stand your ground and make them hear you.
Since Greta Thunberg inspired millions of teenagers to skip school to protest climate change in 2018, the world’s media has focused on youth climate strikes. The protests were filled with passionate young people, capturing the attention of the world’s media, reverberating with the young attendees’ anger and angst about the future.
Students dealing with other overlapping crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and racial injustice, are pushing for these topics to be brought into the classroom.
Together, being heard and making your voice louder and demanding is easier and more approachable.
“There’s no price of admission to the climate movement,” says Morgan Edwards, an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a leader of the university’s Climate Action Lab told ABC News. “Trying to think just about how you can reduce your personal emissions can feel really lonely, whereas, being part of something bigger, finding a community to take action together with — I think that’s a much more empowering way to think about climate change centers the conversation around those who are responsible for the crisis, which isn’t you as an individual.”
Take up the political involvement opportunities locally.
As young people reach voting age, it will be critical for them to use their voting power to effect change. If they believe that none of the candidates are qualified, they can run for office themselves.
Use your talents to fuel the fight.
There are many ways to apply every course of study to the climate fight for college students who feel they can’t get involved in the climate crisis because their major has nothing to do with the environment. People with a focus on business administration or property management, for example, can use their studies to find ways to build and maintain buildings with more sustainable materials and less toxic waste. As the fight and the concern expands, the world needs a lot more perspectives on the climate crisis. The key to everyone fighting against the force of it together is thinking about how it interacts with all of these different fields. It’s not a problem of just one field of study, it applies to all of us. We must fight together to hold each other accountable, and kickstart the movement towards change.
Climate change affects young people in more ways than one. The youth are gathering up their efforts and putting their skills to use to accelerate climate action, whether through education, science, or technology. And it is all for the better since we, as a generation, hold the key to the fate of the world. So let’s get together and join the movement for change.
