Written by: Mark Slapinski on behalf of New Arts
There is a lot of inaction in regards to climate change. Some people say it's because they feel there is a little they can do to change the way the planet is headed. Not Greta Thunberg. Greta is a 16 year old girl from Sweden who has become an international celebrity. In August 2018, she began protesting outside of the Swedish Parliament, demanding the government do more about climate change. Her actions gained local media attention, and she soon became the voice of an international movement.
Nobody could have foreseen the effect her actions would have had.
If a 16 year old girl from Sweden can make waves across the world and inspire people to act against climate change, other youth can, too. Technology has connected the world, and social media allows progressive social movements to grow and flourish. Anybody with a good idea and the drive to test it out, now has the potential to change the world.
So much time has been wasted doing nothing. Conspiracy theories have cycled for years, scaring people into thinking the world was going to end. Unfortunately, global warming is not a conspiracy, and a serious threat to the existence of humanity. It is not a question of believing, it is now a question of acting.
Just like global warming is a threat to humanity, activists like Greta Thunberg are a threat to the oil industry that greatly contributes to global warming. Ask yourself, are you part of the change you wish to see? Are you being part of the solution? You have the power to do so. And so do young people.
What do you think about Greta Thunberg? Do you think youth have the power to change our future? Leave a comment below.