Those who deny climate change or accept it but argue against taking action for various reasons may scoff at the millions of young people across the world who took part in the Global Climate Strike last week.
But even if you believe the protestors are wasting their time, you should consider the implications of their despair and what it means for the future.
Although there was plenty of political turmoil dominating headlines, no doubt you saw the media coverage of the thousands of youth around the world who took part in the Global Climate Strike on Sept. 20. There were even rallies in Edmonton and Calgary, though they were obviously smaller than those in Australia, the U.K., New York and other larger centres.
Incidentally, the Climate Strike was immediately preceded by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg embarking on a voyage across the Atlantic Ocean on a yacht equipped with solar panels. She arrived in the U.S. in time to speak before Congress and take part in the UN Climate Action Summit.
Perhaps you let out an angry harrumph at these youthful demonstrations because you believe climate change is, as the saying goes, “fake news.” Maybe you believe it’s a hoax dreamed up by scientists and the media. Perhaps you think the climate has always changed/plants need CO2 to survive, so the more the better.
OK, you’re entitled to your views, easily debunked though they are. But for a moment, let’s just consider the implications of the Climate Strike.
Try to internalize this idea: across the world, millions of young people believe that the future is unbearably bleak. They believe the coastal cities will be flooded, food will become scarce as droughts and floods ravage the land and we will be beset by natural disasters increasing in intensity.
What happens when a person loses all hope in the future?
If you hop on Google, it’s not hard to find a sleugh of articles examining the ramifications of this increasing fear that civilization is doomed and our current political leaders refuse to do anything about it.
More and more young women, for instance, are choosing not to have families because they don’t want to raise children in a world that will be defined by hardship. “Eco-anxiety” is having a serious impact on our collective mental health, especially that of young poeple, which isn’t helped by the fact that our political leaders seem unwilling to address the problem due to greed or deliberate ignorance.
That fear of the future will only become more pronounced as time goes on and the window of opportunity to address climate change shrinks. Our fertility rate isn’t particularly high now; what do you think it will be like in a few years’ time if the world continues on its current course?
Even if you deny the reality of climate change, perhaps you should consider that action is necessary for no other reason than to keep the next generation from losing hope, which could have very serious repercussions for our society.
And if manmade climate change proves not to be real, what have you lost? As a popular cartoon once said: “What if it’s all a big hoax and we create a better world for nothing?”
