Born planet
Our Planet, Our Responsibility: A Youth Call for Environmental Action
In every corner of the world, nature is crying. The forests are being lost, the ice caps are melting, and the temperatures are rising. What was once a problem somewhere distant is now knocking on our door and is affecting how we live, what we eat, and even how we feel. Being among the youth, we should ask ourselves: if not us, then who?
As students, we spend our days in school learning about environmental issues between the pages of books, but outside the classroom, reality hits harder. Floods, fires, polluted air, and tainted water are no longer the exceptions they are happening everywhere all around us. Sometimes it gets really discouraging. But at the same time, we are best placed to make a good impact. We have the energy, creativity, and access to information to take action. In this essay, the world’s largest environmental challenges will be explored and specifically how young people can be a part of the solution.
The temperature of the Earth has increased by over 1°C over the last hundred years alone. That may not sound like a lot, but already it has caused deadly heat waves, crazy rain patterns, and stronger storms. In my own country, we’ve seen summers get hotter every year, affecting crops and even causing school closures. Many of my friends and classmates complain of heat-related headaches and fatigue. Poor and vulnerable communities are hit the hardest they have fewer resources to recover from floods or storms.
Even natural seasonal rhythms have been disrupted. Birds are migrating too early or too late. Flowers will bloom out of order with the arrival of pollinators. Minor changes can make major collapses in ecosystems. Climate change isn’t something we should continue to dismiss it affects all forms of life on this planet. Plastic is part of our existence from grocery bags to candy wrappers. Much of it, however, isn’t getting recycled. It ends up in oceans, choking turtles and fish, or in landfills where it will stay for hundreds of years. Plastic doesn’t break down easily, and even when it does, it breaks into microplastics. These tiny pieces end up in the food chain, harming animals and even entering our own bodies.
As kids, we’ve grown up with convenience, but it has come at a cost. Single-use plastic is one of the biggest culprits. Recycling, of course, but the truth is that plastic is not always recyclable. Reducing consumption is the solution. Young people worldwide today are calling everyone out to be plastic-free. This is something where individual action really matters. Breathing in certain places is destructive. Traffic pollution, factories, and burning fossil fuels have contaminated outdoor air in the majority of cities. Asthma, lung illness, and other breathing disorders are on the rise, especially in children. At the same time, water pollution from sewage, oil spills, and industrial by-products has made clean drinking water harder and harder to come by. In certain rural areas, people are trekking for miles just to get usable water.
This isn’t only a health issue, it’s a human rights issue too. All of us have the right to breathe fresh air and drink fresh water. Governments will have to enforce strict pollution control, but individually we can contribute by driving less, doing more planting of trees, and minimizing the use of poisonous chemicals in our lives. Animal and plant species are becoming extinct daily. Destruction of habitats, pollution, global warming, and hunting are causing the loss of biodiversity. This is more significant than most people are aware of. Each species plays a part in the ecosystem. When it is lost, a whole system can be affected.
Most of us teens enjoy nature and wildlife. Imagine a world without elephants, polar bears, or even bees. This is not science fiction it’s a future if we don’t do anything. We need more youth to speak up for wildlife and trees. From growing a tree, cleaning up litter in a park, to starting a compost pile on school property, there are many little things that we can lead. Our school’s environmental club recently planted a butterfly garden, and it illustrated to me that even small things can make a radical visual impact. These projects also encourage other kids as well as adults to get involved. Action is contagious.
It is a blessing to be digital natives. We can use apps to monitor carbon footprints, engage in virtual environmental movements, and connect with fellow students from around the world. I once attended a climate workshop through Zoom with teenagers from other countries, and it made me realize that it is a worldwide struggle. Giving tips, posting about environmental issues, or creating videos on YouTube or Instagram can disseminate awareness and encourage sustainability practices.
Many young people are getting involved in policy today by attending demonstrations or putting pen to paper to local representatives. Greta Thunberg is a great role model, but we don’t have to be famous to make a difference. A decent letter to your school board or mayor can lead to better school meals or better rubbish collection. We can even circulate petitions in schools to disfigure plastic bottle usage or add recycling points.
Change does not always need to be big or public. We can begin at home by getting our families to reduce their electricity use, save water, use reusable items, and shop regularly in local environmentally friendly businesses. When communities make behavior change, the neighborhoods also do. Little things count. New young business people are coming up with fabulous things recycled straws, recyclable cloths, plant-based meat alternatives. In other nations, students have even made bricks out of plastic trash or foot-powered electricity generators. Why can’t more young people be encouraged to approach problem-solving with science and creativity? Governments and schools need to do more to help young innovators. Science fairs and hackathons need to incorporate environmental topics, and winners must receive opportunities to turn their ideas into reality.
Environmental education should not be an isolated chapter in science books. It has to be something we live, breathe, and do. We need to be educated in school about how to garden, recycle, and study nature, and not just memorize facts. Experienced knowledge is knowledge. Every school needs to integrate experiential exercises with the environment, including planting crops in school gardens, composting, and studying energy production. The more time students spend around nature and sustainability, the more likely they are totake care of it. I believe change starts small with all of us. If we all took responsibility for our own backyards, the bigger picture would begin to shift. I believe in community cleanups, in teenager-led awareness drives, and in our ability to encourage even our own families to go green.
Sometimes we wish that our own individual actions don’t matter, but they do. If the millions of young people worldwide recycle, reforest, conserve energy, and make their voices heard, the impact would be great. We can make a difference by setting an example. We are the first to understand fully the impact of environmental ruin, and maybe the last generation that can do something about it. That’s a heavy responsibility, but a great opportunity. We can do it together and demonstrate to the world how to create a greener, cleaner, and fairer world.
It’s not just about saving the Earth, it’s about saving our FUTURE.
By: Tanish Aditya Lanka
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