Throughout this week, from working on our social media platforms to reading Tools for Grassroots Activists to listening to Catherine Flowers speak, a central message rung: hope for the future lies in younger generations. With bright but fiery eyes, the power of social media, and a recognition of the immediate and demanding effects older generations have had on the Earth, we are the future. For the first, or at least the most urgent time, we recognize the possibility that our children and grandchildren will have drastically different relationships with nature than we did. People all over the world will fight over water scarcity, cities may drown under rising sea levels, the sixth extinction may become a reality. Although many of these issues have existed for years, the magnitude and acceleration of them have never reached such extreme levels.
The environmental issues we face may seem to pile higher and higher, each new statistic on CO2 emission levels, climate change, species endangerment, sea levels, population growth, the list is endless. Perhaps we have reason to be angry at the “older generations”, but we must remember that the “resilience of nature is good news”, as Dr. Jane Goodall assured us in her keynote speech (187). We must act now, and act radically – small changes in consumerism, although helpful, cannot by themselves reverse current trends. We are realizing more and more that we must utilize social media and practice active citizenship.
I definitely fall under the category of environmentalists who try to communicate with caution, worried about offending the other party or seeming “unreasonable”. After reading Annie Leonard’s speech, where she urges environmentalists to “think bigger, aim higher, and dream more courageously”, I felt particularly heartened (31). We (environmentalist) also often forget that the majority of Americans do actually support policy changes in support of environmental efforts. In a NY Times article depicting “How Americans Think About Climate Change, in Six Maps”, we can clearly see this. In every state, over 50% of citizens support strict CO2 limits on existing coal-fired power plants, with most states over 60-70%.
It’s easy to feel alone in this fight, bogged down by the science and data, but most people simply do not have the initial tools for activism we have been equipped with. Now our job is to keep fueling the fire, invite everyone to the table, and demand change.
NY Times article mentioned:
