The generation to save the world

How can youth halt climate change?

Amongst the hordes of climate deniers and multinational corporations that rip apart the Earth while increasing total carbon emissions, the upcoming generation of young adults and teenagers are supposed to be at the helm of a climate revolution. We were forcibly given the job of preserving the environment for our children and accepted the role so we could help reverse the gross negligence that has caused severe degradation of habitats, from polar ice caps to rainforests. However, the even the direness of Earth’s situation has failed to create enough alarm from those who will be directly affected by the results of our environmentally harmful actions.  

Scientists warn that by 2050, if rising global temperatures aren’t kept well below two degrees Celsius, climate change will become a dramatic and irreversible problem. Rising sea levels, species extinction, bleached coral reefs, mass migration, and powerful storms—these represent only a fraction of the potential consequences that will be caused by unchecked human activity. This means the Millennial Generation and Generation Z will experience the horrible fatalities caused by climate change, but will be unable to do anything except look back upon our mistakes with the grim realization that it was preventable.   

Such apocalyptic images undoubtedly scare many people, but those fears will bring nothing without active, meaningful change. From driving gas cars that guzzle pollution into our atmosphere and importing clothing made in unfair and unsafe working conditions in the Global South, we are guilty of committing the same crimes that caused climate change in the first place. It is completely independent of age; the truth is, very few folks genuinely care about the environment. We live in a time of mass self-absorption that leads us to disregard environmental woes in service of personal desires.  

This subtle narcissism is only exacerbated by a sense of impotence and hypocriticalness arising in schools. For years, students in secondary school learn about climate change and its importance, but they see no meaningful actions occurring on any substantive levels. In fact, educational institutions misuse resources on a daily basis, a process in which students inadvertently participate. Between the constant printing of paper, the inefficient use of electricity, the presence of toxin-based teaching tools, and the sale of processed foods and meat in cafeterias, schools are committing significant harm to the environment. Yet when a student tries to take a lead on climate activism, they are frequently shut down by teachers and administrative staff who require them to maintain wasteful practices.  

It is not that schools are completely responsible for student ecological awareness, but alongside greater religious, economic, and political forces that oppose climate legislation, a burgeoning teenager can feel insignificant. Their resolve and efforts are, therefore, lost within the greater scheme. But what if that resolve is lost forever? What if we bury environmentalism so deep that climate change becomes unstoppable? Then our generation would be no different than those before us. No one would consciously care about the environment, and society would be permeated by an unconscious hedonism. If we do not want this attitude to become the true nature of humanity—an endless cycle of mistakes and regrets—then there is no better time to act.  However, civilization is past the phase where we can make miniscule changes and wait for the problem to be solved. Climate change will require massive alterations to how we consume and organize. True change will only succeed if we collectively dedicate ourselves to the movement. Thankfully, young Canadians are now better educated on the realities of climate change and have an unprecedented number of opportunities they can seize to build a new, sustainable way of life.   

Therefore, instead of letting the devastating future come to fruition, let us channel our common will into creating successful solutions to address climate change. There is viable potential to resolve the environmental issues that plague our planet, and we cannot stay on our current path due to a lack of will—we must change. In fact, research shows incredible promise; groundbreaking studies from NASA explain how limiting the warming to half a degree Celsius will save most animal, plant, and insect species in our ecosystem. Thus, if we meet the Paris Climate Agreement guidelines for substantially lowering greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, we will have a greater chance of saving our environment. The answers are there, but sustainable change can only occur if we are willing to take the necessary steps.