Are the teenagers of this generation more passionate about cleaning the planet? Are they more likely to save it?
by Beth Wedge Clarke.
In 2019 The Body Shop decided to ask 1,000 teenagers (aged between 14-16) about their attitudes towards sustainability and problems with climate change. In an article that The Body Shop released they explained how 80% of these teenagers felt under-pressure to save the planet but don’t think they are well-enough equipped to make a difference. Most of them thought they hadn’t been taught enough or didn’t know enough about the issue to really make a change. The article carries on to say that 39% of people said they “deeply care” about the impact humans have on the planet but 44% of people indicated that they never or rarely heard about how people can live sustainably in the classroom.
Although there is a lack of ‘formal’ education on the subject, the young climate activists - such as Greta Thunberg - are inspiring the younger generation to take the matters into their own hands, no matter the size of their impact. As years go by, the growing interest from teenagers regarding the environmental crisis is shown within the number of teenagers getting involved both at home and in national movements regarding the issues. In 2018 Greta Thunberg took matters into her own hands when people from older generations weren’t taking notice of the problems she was raising; she decided to start skipping school to strike for climate action. This movement quickly went global. An estimated 1.6 million teenagers in 125 countries hit the streets during protests in mid-march 2018.
Young people have been talking about climate change for decades, but it has been shown the latest generations is louder and more coordinated. The movement's visibility on social media and in the press has created a massive difference that other generations just didn’t have in the past. Young people are getting peoples' attention to a degree that would not have been possible before. It is also a virtuous circle - the more younger people get involved, the more people the movements reach.
“Many people think that young activists and other young climate campaigners aren’t conventional, tree-hugging environmentalists,” says Harriet Thew, an environmentalist at the University of Leeds. “Many see tackling climate change and raising awareness as a matter of global justice.” In other words, Harriet Thew thinks that the movement that young people have been driving forward in recent years is more effective than it has ever been. It is way more than a purely environmental message.
But one of the main questions I have is are participants of these movements going to maintain their enthusiasm as they grow older and leave school? Does the demand of finding employment and building a stable life in a difficult global economy leave less time for activism? While adults are sorting out their lives, do children and teenagers have more support and free time to protest? We have to hope that, if we do lose our activism as we get older, when today's teenage activists grow up, they might inspire a new cohort of climate campaigners might be able to rise and make a huge environmental difference.
References –
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-02696-0
https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/do-younger-generations-care-more-about-global-warming/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-49918719
by Beth Wedge Clarke.
In 2019 The Body Shop decided to ask 1,000 teenagers (aged between 14-16) about their attitudes towards sustainability and problems with climate change. In an article that The Body Shop released they explained how 80% of these teenagers felt under-pressure to save the planet but don’t think they are well-enough equipped to make a difference. Most of them thought they hadn’t been taught enough or didn’t know enough about the issue to really make a change. The article carries on to say that 39% of people said they “deeply care” about the impact humans have on the planet but 44% of people indicated that they never or rarely heard about how people can live sustainably in the classroom.
Although there is a lack of ‘formal’ education on the subject, the young climate activists - such as Greta Thunberg - are inspiring the younger generation to take the matters into their own hands, no matter the size of their impact. As years go by, the growing interest from teenagers regarding the environmental crisis is shown within the number of teenagers getting involved both at home and in national movements regarding the issues. In 2018 Greta Thunberg took matters into her own hands when people from older generations weren’t taking notice of the problems she was raising; she decided to start skipping school to strike for climate action. This movement quickly went global. An estimated 1.6 million teenagers in 125 countries hit the streets during protests in mid-march 2018.
Young people have been talking about climate change for decades, but it has been shown the latest generations is louder and more coordinated. The movement's visibility on social media and in the press has created a massive difference that other generations just didn’t have in the past. Young people are getting peoples' attention to a degree that would not have been possible before. It is also a virtuous circle - the more younger people get involved, the more people the movements reach.
“Many people think that young activists and other young climate campaigners aren’t conventional, tree-hugging environmentalists,” says Harriet Thew, an environmentalist at the University of Leeds. “Many see tackling climate change and raising awareness as a matter of global justice.” In other words, Harriet Thew thinks that the movement that young people have been driving forward in recent years is more effective than it has ever been. It is way more than a purely environmental message.
But one of the main questions I have is are participants of these movements going to maintain their enthusiasm as they grow older and leave school? Does the demand of finding employment and building a stable life in a difficult global economy leave less time for activism? While adults are sorting out their lives, do children and teenagers have more support and free time to protest? We have to hope that, if we do lose our activism as we get older, when today's teenage activists grow up, they might inspire a new cohort of climate campaigners might be able to rise and make a huge environmental difference.
References –
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-02696-0
https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/do-younger-generations-care-more-about-global-warming/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-49918719
