I am 15 years old and a freshman in high school. When I was growing up I wanted to travel the world. I wanted to visit every continent and see animals in their natural ecosystems. I especially wanted to go to Hawaii because why not. It was warm, had palm trees, and was by the ocean. Unfortunately Vermont is getting closer to the temperature of Hawaii. Even though the difference in temp is still large, vermont is getting warmer along with the rest of the world. The amount of snow we get in Vermont each year is dropping, summers are getting hotter, and lakes are warming. And that is just in one part of the world, where we are not even impacted that badly. Our planet is being destroyed. Animals are dying, ecosystems are collapsing, people are starving, storms are more frequent, and our future is being taken away from us. This is climate change. It’s not something you get to argue about whether or not it is real, because our future is on the line.
I get asked all the time what I am going to do after high school, if I am going to college, and what I want to be. I think that is the most asked question for young people. But I can’t think about that without thinking about climate change. Because we may not have a future. We have 11 years until we hit an irreversible tipping point. That means I will only be 26 and only 3 years out of college. And our emissions are increasing which will bring that deadline even closer. We are living in a world where I have to continually fight for my future. We have a 50% chance of staying below 1.5 degrees celsius. If we go above this mark our civilization as we know it will collapse. Would you want to live in a world where you have a 50/50 chance of surviving? Because I don't. We have the science and resources needed to change. So why not? Why do we keep supporting the fossil fuel industry and everything it stands for? Personally I want to make it past 26 and travel the world like I have always dreamed. Do you want to live past 2034? |