Why people of all ages need to care about the climate crisis

Aiyana talks about why demanding action on climate change is not just young people’s responsibility

Written by Aiyana

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To all the adults that reckon it’s ‘unprofessional’ to pledge your support for climate action as a business or in your workplace, why are you in this job? Think about that a second.

Supporting future generations

If you are a teacher, a therapist, or any person in an educational or caring role then, I presume it’s because you want a better future for people. You care about people and want to make a difference in their lives. Tell me, what is more vital to a better future than fresh air to breathe, clean water to drink and healthy food to eat?

If you’re a businessperson that believes you are improving people’s lives with your service then do enlighten me. What good is that service going to do when people are poor and dying? You know what, even if you are a selfish bastard that doesn’t give a shit about others and just wants profit, who will work for you and who will buy your product when the world is drowning and burning and society has collapsed into chaos?

Everyone needs to demand greater climate action

I’ve known people who wouldn’t put up a One Future Ireland campaign window sticker for the sole reason that they didn’t want to ‘inflict their opinion’ on their clients or customers. First of all, the only thing the sticker said was “I want faster and fairer climate action.” If your customers are put out by you simply declaring that you’d like the survival of complex life on earth, including our own species, then I don’t think they are the type of person whose thoughts you should be worrying about. Second of all, if there is one thing that everybody needs to start talking about, everywhere they can, whenever they can, it’s the climate crisis. This is a humanitarian threat on a huge, unimaginable scale and we can’t afford the luxury of staying silent.

The impact of the climate crisis

What good will ‘being unpolitical and professional’ do when our pillaging, exploitation and destruction of the planet catches up with us? Make no mistake, it will catch up. It already is. We are seeing the effects every day. This is not a threat of the far off future. It is the present. Millions are dying from intensified drought, flooding, wildfires, water pollution, air pollution and unprecedented weather events. All because of our consumption and our economic system that is based on endless and unsustainable production. Yet the people that are dying right now are the ones that have contributed least to this crisis.

If your reasoning is that you won’t make a statement because this is such a ‘contentious issue’ and not everyone believes in the climate crisis, I think that’s just idiocy. Scientific fact isn’t a matter of opinion. 97% of scientists agree that climate change is caused by humans. Would you stop selling globes or teaching basic geography because a few people don’t believe the world is round?

Stand together and fight for our futures

We cannot continue to ignore this crisis. There are so many privileged people who have not yet been forced to open their eyes because they have not yet been personally affected. When you refuse to air your views on the necessity of climate action and environmental protection, you are condemning future generations. You cave to the will of people who don’t want to be brought to the realisation that they are benefiting from the suffering of others.

Calling for climate action shouldn’t be a cause that a few passionate tree huggers take upon themselves. This is a matter of the survival of complex life on planet Earth, including our own species. We all have a moral obligation to our fellow human beings to take a stand and fight for our futures.

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