I am an optimist, or at least I always try to sprinkle a little hope in the difficult times. I saw Adam McKay’s new movie, don’t look up, and he scared me. Even more so when I was able to read articles the other day claiming that the Trudeau government was “not opposed to the exploitation of the ocean floor” or that coal production had “reached a record in China”. How to keep hope in the face of this? What will it take for us to finally understand that these articles must become history, and quickly? Why doesn’t the slightest appearance of a decision that still threatens the climate create a scandal, instead of this vague resentment that seems to have become our reaction to the climate drama?
I’m 21, and yet I already look back with nostalgia: I’m not in a hurry to see all that is inevitable and that we watch, with closed eyes, smash into our faces. I don’t want to see the surprised faces, just like those of American politicians at the end of Adam McKay’s film, when the repercussions of our climate inaction will be plainly visible. At 21, I already know that I will always feel guilty for bringing a child into this world full of denial and selfishness and I see myself facing the great dilemma of pursuing what really excites me or studying in a field who can help me change things. Because it is indeed my generation that will have the task of solving all the problems: it is up to us to solve everything, to the detriment of our interests and our dreams.
How not to have the overwhelming impression of fighting alone in the dark when reading the previously mentioned articles in the newspapers? More than just speechless, I remain filled with sadness and anguish at this future that no one seems to see. To all those who are waiting for the end of the pandemic to return to normal life, I say to wait a few years to see the climate plummet: after this point of no return, nothing normal can be found.
So, without really having a choice, I guess I still have hope, but if I lose it, what will I be left with then?
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