Helen Bradley
Staff Writer
By now, we have all heard every argument, persuasive speech and statistic there is about climate change.
Some of us have heard and reacted.
Others feel this issue is so large that it is out of their control and nothing they do will have an effect.
Some even blatantly disregard anything anyone says and honestly believe climate change is not real.
Yet, at some point, you cannot ignore the facts that are given to us from reliable sources.
We are facing a defining moment in history with our ecosystems irreversibly changing.
If members of society want to ignore the drastic changes rapidly occurring to our planet, go ahead, but our leaders, the people we rely on to guide us and represent our best interests, cannot sit idle and do nothing.
Last week, millions across the globe, took a stand and said enough is enough.
And wow, the result was awe-inspiring.
Seven million and five hundred thousand people across 185 countries stood together and walked the streets of their cities peacefully, demanding action from our governments and commitment to this issue.
To see that amount of people, stand together for the same cause and care passionately about fixing our planet is rare for today’s society.
The amount of youth that striked was inspiring.
The Washington Post even reported these protests as one of the largest youth-led demonstrations in history.
For the critics who say that these kids should be in school rather than skipping to walk the streets: learning how to stand up for something important that you believe in and fight for that belief is more educational than any Math, English or Science class.
As a young adult, seeing and hearing the amount of youth involved and leading the strikes brings me hope.
People are listening and recognizing that this is their future at stake.
However, there is so much more our generation can do and contribute.
We are the next-in-line to lead and acting like climate change is too big to tackle is not the right attitude.
Every small thing counts. Things we as college students can do, for example, are: walking to class instead of driving, utilizing reusable cups for coffee, not using straws, turning lights off after leaving a room, taking shorter showers and so on.
We are educated individuals who ought to do our part for the world that so many of us take for granted.
The strikes came three days before world leaders met at the United Headquarters in New York for a climate summit.
It is unclear whether the demonstrations will compel our global leaders to make the necessary choices to reduce the world’s warming but at least we, as a society, know we are doing what we can.
It is now on the people that lead us to do what is right.
As Alexandria Villaseñor, a 14-year-old climate activist, said, “world leaders can either listen now or listen later because our voice is only going to get louder as the climate crisis gets more urgent. Adults need to step up and support us. Civil disobedience breaks the system and once it’s broken it’s an amazing opportunity to make things better.”
Email Helen at:
hbradley2@live.esu.edu
