Every generation has its defining and most important moments. They were, for my grandparents, the Great Depression and world wars. My parents believed it was the Cold War, and the constant threat from nuclear annihilation. The unknown and new world of the Internet, and later 9/11, were important to millenials. These events have shaped how certain age groups view the world and the threats to it. Generation Z was not immune to the existential and inevitable threat to our lives. Its climate change is a major concern for us.
Since fifth grade, I have been reminded daily that the world around is changing for the worse. I didn’t have all my baby teeth when I first heard about the rising levels of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. As you can see, constant reminders of the end-of-the world in my youth had a profound impact on my development as a person. I was both proactive and anxiously determined. I was also fearful. Although I was inspired to fight for the world, my motivation came more from fear than passion.
This is not an isolated experience. This is an ArticleNature published a study that revealed that 60% of those aged between 16 and 25 feel anxiety about the topic of climate change. These are the consequences of growing up in fear.
I was afraid of the consequences and so I went to college determined to combat climate change. The obvious choice for my major was environmental science. I wanted to use the University as a platform to take scientific and political action against environmental damage. I wanted a career that would bring me in front the people in power, whether they were environmental lawyers, journalists or lobbyists. It would make it possible for me to see the issues that had so deeply affected my perception of the world.
However, I was nervous as a first year student. I have always loved nature. I felt so affected by climate anxiety due to my deep love for nature and the fear of its destruction. I was excited to explore the outdoors and learn more about it, but I wasn’t sure how I would deal with climate change in my daily life.
As I attempted to understand how to live in a changing environment, I quickly realized that I was not the only one experiencing climate anxiety. I am not the only one trying to fix it. Every environmental science class ends with the dreaded unit about climate change. What I didn’t expect was to be content about the efforts of other environmentalists to reduce its effects. To be clear, climate change remains a terrifying, large, unprecedented, existential, and terrifying problem. But, to my surprise I’m not the only one who has noticed.
I have made friends with my lab partners and classmates, joined clubs like the Environmental Sciences Organization, and spent time getting to know my professors. This has helped me feel more at ease. There are several projects currently underway to address the threats our planet faces ESOs efforts at monitoring light pollution at University, research efforts in facilities such as The. Blandy Experimental FarmA plethora graduate research projects.
Realizing that climate change is not my responsibility or that Greta Thunberg and I share the responsibility has given me mental space to rediscover what it was that made me fall in love with the natural world in the first place. I was captivated by the beauty of the natural world while sitting in geology, weather and atmosphere, and many other classes. I forgot for a moment the emotional burden that I had associated with it.
So, we continue to push for the environmental advocates, lawyers, community organizers and researchers. We keep our eyes on the future we are fighting for, for the most part. Knowing that we are walking side by side with an army environmentalists like us allows us to take a moment to appreciate the world we have sacrificed our lives for. Although we march towards the White House, Congress and corporate headquarters around the world, we won’t be standing alone.
