Anxious, outraged and frustrated – a plethora of the younger generation pour into public streets in the name of one simple demand: climate justice. Boasting their diversity, youth, and concern for their future, these protesters are among the global waves of contention raised this month.
Climate change not only causes the heat waves we’ve been experiencing, but it also amplifies air pollution and causes physical weather disasters.
We Don’t Need No Crowd Control
“The kids are ALL right”
“I missed the Area 51 raid for this”
“Don’t burn my future”
These are quirky yet considerably, powerful words painted, coloured and outlined on the picket signs held by the masses of youth who’ve taken time away from school to join the climate change strike.
It has been reported that 1.1 million New York City students have been granted permission to involve themselves in school walkouts but it doesn’t stop there!
Saving Our Planet, Our Way
Many environmentalists have taken to the street in a collective effort to avert an environmental crisis that they will have to deal with. It’s been reported that hundreds of Amazon workers from Seattle walked out of their offices to join others in the City Hall rally in protest of their company’s inaction on climate change. In Malaysia, hundreds of protesters march in an attempt to hold the government accountable for the environment’s destruction and the political silence surrounding it.
Among the environmental tragedies we’ve caused over the years, one, in particular, has stood out for the past few months in Southeast Asia. The slash-and-burn farming practices have long been an issue for many Malaysians this time of the year. Learn more about the annual haze situation Malaysians face here. Another leading case of climate change lies closely with the rapid occurrence of deforestation. In Malaysia, this takes the form of the mass plantation of palm oil, which has been known to be a major driver towards climate change.
So what can we do right? We can start by adopting a lifestyle that reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Many individual actions on climate change can be taken from areas of personal choice, such as diet, transportation and household energy use. These lifestyle choices can be as simple as recycling, using an energy-efficient car, or even washing clothes in cold water.
The climate is changing, it’s high time we keep up!
