Pictured above: Dr. Elaine McGoff, her two children, and their protest against climate change.
26 March 2022
When Theresa ODonohoe was pregnant, she developed epilepsy. She had to spend a lot more time at home.
To keep herself busy, she watched several documentaries. One of the documentaries was about the state of the planet. Soon after, she was a devotee of recycling and active transportation.
She stumbled upon a 2006 program about climate change. She knew that her children would need a healthy environment in order to survive, and she wanted to ensure that they had it.
She was attracted to the community-focused, solutions-oriented approach of the Transition Town movement and her activism quickly grew from local politics to the national stage, working with a variety of organisations, including An Taisce, Feasta, and others.
The mother of five continues to press policymakers to address the dual climate-biodiversity crises that she first became aware decades ago.
It’s not easy to see how time-consuming it is. You are trading your time being a mother for the activism. You have to do it for your children’s sake, she said. The Green News.
She isn’t the only mother involved in climate activism.
Mothers around the globe are becoming more involved in climate activism. They often advocate for all children to have a sustainable future. Mothers assist their children in making cardboard signs for protests. They join in chanting and tirelessly work at the national and local levels to create change.
Dr. Elaine McGoff is the An Taisce Natural Environment Officer. Being a mother to two children gives her the strength to persevere when faced with obstacles.
She said that whenever I feel down, run out of steam, or run into brick walls, I recall what they were facing and get back in there.
It is too important not to dwell in self-pity or give up on your future.
At a recent local climate rally, Elaines own children came along to watch her address the crowd – and their presence and seeing how proud they were of me buoyed her as she spoke.
Many mothers who are at the forefront of climate activism bring their kids along to protests. Futureproof Clare was founded by Anne-Marie Harrington. It’s a way to make the movement tangible for them.
It is also the antithesis to the hours she spends poring over documents after bedtime.
They’ve been to protests since they were young and are now veterans of them. Anne-Marie stated that I am introducing them to a group of like-minded people. She said that they want them to look back at this time and realize that their mother tried to do something.
Activists were repeatedly reminded of the need to show children that adults are taking a stand and demanding change for 2022, regardless of what their world may look like in the future.
Aisling Wheeler is a Clare-based climate activist and mother of two. She shares Anne-Maries sentiment about having a tangible memory that her seven- and ten-year-old children can look back on.
It is important for them to know that it is an important issue, and that we tried to address it. That’s what motivates me. I want them know that we tried.
Elaine McGoff encourages mothers who are hesitant to get involved in the cause to do so. She believes it’s the best thing you can for your children’s future. And if your children ask you 30 years from now, what are you going to answer them with? – whats your answer going to be?
Even with her resolve, the enormity and scope of the unfolding events weigh heavily, even on days when negative climate news stories like those about the Arctic and Antarctic poles are breaking.
It is hard to think about the future of your children and not lose hope. Elaine stated that having children can sometimes make things seem more hopeless but it also encourages you to keep trying.
It’s both terrifying and motivating all at once.
Kayle Crosson
