Young people know need for change
As the 15th Conference of Parties in Copenhagen draws near, increasing attention is being given to climate change by the media. While countries are making pledges on what seems like a daily basis, these commitments are being attacked on both sides of the climate debate.
On the one hand are the climate skeptics, who still ignore the science behind climate change, or they do not believe it is dangerous enough to warrant a large-scale, global response. On the other are global youth.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the group of scientific experts who study the plethora of minute changes in Earth's atmospheric makeup, reported that in order to restrain global temperature rise to two degrees Celsius, greenhouse gas emissions must decrease by around 85 percent from 2000 levels by 2050.
A rise of more than 2 degrees Celsius will mean catastrophic sea level rise. As a 22-year-old student, I know my generation did not ask for this problem. I also know that despite our youth, we have no choice but to fix it. Margaret Mead once said, "Never doubt that a small group of concerned citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." I am a concerned citizen, and I am taking action.
Where will you be in 2050? There are 1 billion young people, like myself, who will still be here in 2050 to see the changes that are made today.
We want our children to know that we took action to save this planet, and give them a safe place to live with clean air and clean water. It is easy to get lost in the negotiations in Copenhagen, but know that my generation is fighting to heal the world. The time for action is now.
Brandon Perlow
London School of Economics graduate student
Buffalo Grove