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View Full Version : A young persons perspective on climate change


Bricheze
02-17-2010, 12:56 PM
With so many adults and state representatives arguing over climate change, it's easy to forget about what young people's opinions are on it. The truth is, each and every single young person in my generation cares about the environment, because we have all come to realize that decisions older generations are making today, are deeply effecting what our future will look like tomorrow.

I have tried to hold mature conversations with skeptical adults. They can nitpick, they can call me a liar when they run out of things to nitpick at, but the fact still remains: I am trying to make my own future a brighter and more sustained place.

My generation, has come to call it irresponsible to refuse to throw all these problems on us and the generations following us. Why do me, or my kids, deserve a world with more pollution or less resources then the world generations before you gave? It doesn't matter what that pollution causes, from global warming to cancer, we all know it has negative impacts on the world. And we deserve better.

I know it's not specifically your fault, we have grown into this ideology that the world is a linear process, take resources, manufacture, use, throw away; but that system just doesn't work anymore. The world is round. The world works in cycles, we don't create or destroy energy, we simply borrow it for a while and give it back. Mankind has been irresponsible and uncaring for the future for hundreds of years. Mankind has always ignored problems or pretended that they don't exist, because deep down, we don't think we can overcome them.

We scapegoat environmentalists, who are only trying to make us realize that the way our world works simply is not okay. We try to call alarmists liars so we can continue to use dirty fuels, and not have to spend the extra money or time reducing energy use or resource use. Most of all, we pretend environmental problems are hoaxes or aren't true, because we don't want to believe that we could really cause such destruction or chaos for our children.

It's time to throw out this ideology, it's time to overcome previous generations limitations, and stop being irresponsible. I look back at other generations as innovative, genius, but also, wasteful, and uncaring. I want people to look back at your generation as not only innovating and genius, but also caring, responsible; the first people to care about the people, plants, and animals that come after us. It's easy for your generation to dodge these responsibilities, but my generation, we won't be able to dodge the consequences of you dodging these responsibilities.

gazelle
02-18-2010, 05:48 AM
The topic of intergenerational fairness really strikes a chord with me.

I've heard of a few catchy memes that I like:

We are sleepwalking into environmental disaster. Wake up!
We are the stewards of the world, charged with maintaining it for future generations and for all other species.
We continue to party hard, but leave our kids to clean up the mess.

BaerbelW
02-18-2010, 01:11 PM
Thanks for your posts!

I'm sure you've come across another "young persons" blog by now, but here is the link to Kate's ClimateSight (http://climatesight.org/) website nonetheless.

I'm always amazed when I read Kate's entries as she sounds so mature (for lack of a better word) - certainly not what I'd expect to read from too many high school seniors.

Cheers
Baerbel

wibble
02-19-2010, 05:13 AM
With so many adults and state representatives arguing over climate change, it's easy to forget about what young people's opinions are on it. The truth is, each and every single young person in my generation cares about the environment, because we have all come to realize that decisions older generations are making today, are deeply effecting what our future will look like tomorrow.

I have tried to hold mature conversations with skeptical adults. They can nitpick, they can call me a liar when they run out of things to nitpick at, but the fact still remains: I am trying to make my own future a brighter and more sustained place.

My generation, has come to call it irresponsible to refuse to throw all these problems on us and the generations following us. Why do me, or my kids, deserve a world with more pollution or less resources then the world generations before you gave? It doesn't matter what that pollution causes, from global warming to cancer, we all know it has negative impacts on the world. And we deserve better.

I know it's not specifically your fault, we have grown into this ideology that the world is a linear process, take resources, manufacture, use, throw away; but that system just doesn't work anymore. The world is round. The world works in cycles, we don't create or destroy energy, we simply borrow it for a while and give it back. Mankind has been irresponsible and uncaring for the future for hundreds of years. Mankind has always ignored problems or pretended that they don't exist, because deep down, we don't think we can overcome them.

We scapegoat environmentalists, who are only trying to make us realize that the way our world works simply is not okay. We try to call alarmists liars so we can continue to use dirty fuels, and not have to spend the extra money or time reducing energy use or resource use. Most of all, we pretend environmental problems are hoaxes or aren't true, because we don't want to believe that we could really cause such destruction or chaos for our children.

It's time to throw out this ideology, it's time to overcome previous generations limitations, and stop being irresponsible. I look back at other generations as innovative, genius, but also, wasteful, and uncaring. I want people to look back at your generation as not only innovating and genius, but also caring, responsible; the first people to care about the people, plants, and animals that come after us. It's easy for your generation to dodge these responsibilities, but my generation, we won't be able to dodge the consequences of you dodging these responsibilities.

Awesome post. Go, Bricheze! Change that world!