By Sophia One

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Why is advocating against climate change a difficult journey, especially for youths?

Climate activism is hard.

Gen Z is considered the most environmentally conscious generation up to date. And it is no surprise: according to APCO worldwide, 45% of youth aged 16 to 25 have their lives affected by “climate anxiety.” As a fellow Gen Z-er, I am proud to admit that we strongly fight against climate change through various youth-lead nonprofits, protests, art, and other forms of advocacy. But are we doing enough to slow down the climate clock? It is hard to believe that we are making a change globally, when change on the local scale is invisible.

It’s difficult to make progress when our voices aren’t heard by those in positions of power that can initiate change. From throwing tomato soup at priceless artwork, to yelling outside in Wall Street, youths will go to extreme lengths to make a statement. As explained by APNews, many youth activists around the world, including Greta Thunberg herself, believe that governments and organizations are rather more “talk” than action, and that “the adults aren’t listening.” 

Another example can be school administration. Many schools often disclude climate education into their curriculum, despite students protesting worldwide. Nevertheless, it is imperative to expose the newer generations to climate education because it can encourage moral habits. According to USA Today, research shows that climate education correlates to reducing carbon emissions. The source also stated that many teachers  don’t teach it because it is simply outside their subject area. If teachers show that they don’t care about climate change, their students will learn to copy the same mindset. With the lack of climate education and resources, students are less inclined to take climate action.

Speaking from personal experience, many students are less motivated because they believe there are no personal benefits involved. I’ve been blocked many times by my school’s administration from posting flyers that inform others on how to recycle correctly and ways to reduce waste due to petty rules. As a result, most of my school’s waste cannot be recycled or composted due to students not knowing how to handle the trash bins. Even when physically confronting my peers, many verbally express that it is “time consuming” and “useless” to sort out their trash. It is ignorance that prevents climate activism.

Speaking of ignorance, what I’ve observed over the Internet is the huge blame put on large corporations for their “climate crimes.” Many comments follow up with “it’s not like there’s anything I can do anyways,” or “there is no point in me doing anything.” While it is true that large corporations contribute significantly to climate change through their industrial processes and emissions, removing individual responsibility based on this premise alone is flawed. Climate change is a complex issue that requires action at various levels of society, including both corporate and individual efforts. A collective effort around the world can make the same impact as corporations. By acknowledging the companies with a large carbon footprint, we also have the right to take action and exert pressure on them to adopt more sustainable practices. Therefore, taking small steps to help the environment has more impact than scrolling behind a screen and dismissing responsibilities.

As of right now, there are an abundance of new technologies, emerging research, policy plans, and finance to support climate solutions. This includes investments in renewable energy, forest restoration, drafts for sustainable transportation, and more.The world has enough ideas and solutions to end climate change. But the hardest part is to convince people to care. We need people in power that can initiate the change to care, as well as average citizens around the globe.

Process

My personal experience inspired the main idea for my piece, as well as a GWN studio workshop that was about environmental journalism. Both influences made me realize how frustrating advocacy can be, so I wrote my piece with a lot of spurts of ambition.