Les Otten
September 20, 2019
Today, students across the globe are skipping school to join a powerful movement to draw attention to climate change. There is no question in school about its reality – and political spin has little sway on children. They are taking action where we haven’t.
I’ve seen and been part of something akin to this before. In the ‘60s it was America’s youth that lead the charge for racial equality and a powerful force to push the end of the Vietnam conflict. The face of the United States changed in that era, and we are seeing something reminiscent of that today. We should all be hugely proud of our young Americans now for taking charge of what they know is a crisis.
The inspiring part is that our children are taking the initiative here. They know that if serious change doesn’t occur, they’re going to continue to see our climate’s downfall. They’ll see worsened weather events, crop failures, food shortages, and ultimately death caused because of these. They know this because they are being taught in school and at home that climate change is real.
While scientifically, there are different models representing climate change they all point to the same destination.
The bottom line is that our kids understand what climate change is and what it will realistically mean for them in their lifetimes. The problem is that we don’t all seem to get that. At the very least, these protests give hope that the next generation will do better than we have.
It’s time for our generation to listen to the younger generation about what is right. They get it.
I for one will keep doing everything I can to try and curb my impact on the environment. We have the resources that we need, individually, to make change happen. Step out of the structure of normalcy that our country has fallen into and step up to the plate like these kids are.
Congratulations to our youth across the globe for driving to have their voices heard. We will stand with you.