1M2030 Story #2: Shaping Awareness on Climate Change - By Ateea Kazi
Hi, my name is Ateea and I am one in million. And this is my story.
As the world trembles at the sight of the coronavirus and the immediate effects it has to us, we often forget or are unaware of the immediate dangers climate change has and will continue to have on us and future generations. The lack of understanding of climate change is detrimental to the sanctity of the earth. Every year as the overall temperature of the earth increases, natural disasters and rising sea levels become more dangerous to everyone.
From a young age, I’ve heard stories of the cyclone that destroyed my parents’ homeland. Their villages, their people, their lives. With the rise of industrialism, rose the tides, with the severity of natural disasters going through the roof and this narrative has not changed.
From a young age, I’ve heard stories of the cyclone that destroyed my parents’ homeland.
Human induced climate change is enhanced by few regions in the world but affects others who are not as able to sustain themselves against the detrimental effects. The United States is one of the leading polluters in the world as they are the world’s biggest industrial and commercial power. The United States is also home to some of the biggest populations of climate change deniers, individuals who believe that human induced climate change is not real, is a hoax, is not actually caused by humans, and overall deny the scientific consensus on climate change.
The politics of climate change and global warming is what fuels many elected representatives in the US to deny climate change because many corporations, such as the fossil fuel industry, are the biggest contributors to greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. These elected officials are not educated on the science of climate change and are motivated to stay uneducated because it allows them to receive funding from companies that are benefitting from the climate crisis.
As young people who are growing up to take on the world, it is imperative that we are educated about climate change
As young people who are growing up to take on the world, it is imperative that we are educated about climate change because it disproportionately affects young people. Climate education is a form of social and racial justice that helps us understand why communities look the way that they do.
I am passionate about climate education and climate policy because I understand how climate change is affecting us, as youth, and how we need to take matters into our own hands for our sake. By legislating comprehensive climate education in schools across cities and states in the United States, we will open up doors for young people to understand the world they are coming to and begin to think of how to combat this issue in new, innovative ways. When there is more awareness and understanding about issues, there is more effort and action put in to reforming it.
…we are the change we want to see.
The more the youth know about human induced climate change and its effects, the more we can pressure our elected officials and companies to action on it, because we are the change we want to see.
1M2030 Stories
1M2030 Stories is a weekly feature of a young leader and their unique story.
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