I turned 75 in March. That means I probably won’t be around to see the worst impacts of climate change — or the much brighter future that may emerge if we get off our butts to address the problems. But I’m also a father and grandfather, and because I care about my children and grandchildren, and all the world’s children, I continue to work and to speak out about environmental challenges and solutions.
It shouldn’t be up to young people to clean up the messes we have made. But because so many adults have abdicated their responsibility, youth are taking matters into their own hands.
In the U.S. 16-year-old Alec Loorz is taking his government to court over its inaction on climate change. He and others have launched actions against state and federal governments in an attempt to have the atmosphere declared a “public trust” that must be protected, a concept that has been used to clean up polluted rivers and coastlines. “We will let the world know that climate change is not about money, it’s not about power, it’s not about convenience,” he says. “It’s about our future.”
Alec Loorz started an organization called iMatter when he was just 13. He has rallied youth from around the world to raise awareness about climate change. He argues that children have “the moral authority” to ask their parents and leaders, “Do I matter to you?”
It’s a question that deserves an answer. For many adults, the honest answer is, “No, we’re more concerned about cheap gas, the economy, profits for the fossil fuel industry and having more stuff.” Reading about Alec Loorz reminded me of the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. My daughter Severn, who was just 12, gave a speech that silenced the delegates and brought many to tears. She asked the adults, “Are we even on your list of priorities?” She also reminded them that “Losing a future is not like losing an election or points on the stock market.”
After her speech, a reporter said to her, “Yeah, we’ve done a pretty lousy job of taking care of the environment, but you kids are different; you’ll lead the way.” I was astonished by her reply. “Oh,” she said, “Is that the excuse for adults to do nothing? Besides, you are our role models. We copy what you do, so how can you expect us to be any different?”
Severn is now a mother herself, and I’m proud that she takes her commitment to her child and to all children seriously. As well as being a great mom, she works to raise awareness about environmental issues through her writing, speaking and TV appearances. We owe it to our children and grandchildren to help clean up the messes we’ve made. We also owe them respect and support when they get involved and push us to do more for the world. Parents must become eco-warriors on behalf of their children because their future should be as important to us as it is to them.
Post City Magazines’ environmental columnist, David Suzuki, is the host of the CBC’s The Nature of Things. David is also the author of more than 30 books on ecology.
