In recent years, climate change has become a global phenomenon taking an increasingly prominent role in international society. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), forecasts a temperature rise of 2.5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit over the next century. Therefore, countless initiatives are being undertaken, by adults and students alike, in various parts of the world, to combat this global calamity.
Specifically, “Fridays for Future,” a reformist movement that began in August of 2018 has been dominating the headlines. But why is it so famous? Well, it was started by Greta Thunberg, a passionate 15-year old who decided to cut school and rally outside the Swedish parliament house in order to protest the lack of action against climate change.
September onwards, Greta began striking every Friday, leading to the creation of hashtags #FridaysForFuture and #Climatestrike, which were already trending after her first rally. They spread to such an extent that a simple protest by one teenager became a global initiative, sparking action among students as well as adults all over the world. People in approximately 1000 cities across the globe began to protest outside their parliament houses and local city halls, demanding a much-needed change in the apathetic behaviour of their representatives who are continuously mishandling this critical disaster.
Subsequently, several such cases have been recorded over the past 5 years, all rallying towards the same goal. Dating back to 2015, a group of 21 young American students decided to sue their government for climate change. They argued that the government had violated “the youngest generation’s constitutional rights to life, liberty, and property” by adopting unfrugal policies that augment the use of fossil fuels – knowing that burning them will emit copious amounts of carbon dioxide which is the primary cause of global warming. Similarly, in India, Ridhima Pandey, a 10-year-old girl from Uttarakhand was named plaintiff in a climate change lawsuit filed in March 2017 with the National Green Tribunal of India. The affidavit she filed argued that the government had failed to implement its emission-reduction policies and adhere to its so-called environmental laws.
Subsequently, there are countless other cases of responsible students in Norway, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom amongst others that are suing their governments, trying to coerce them into effective action. But here’s the catch: as mentioned before, environmental policies do exist in each country… only on paper though. If simply the implementation of these carefully crafted policies is regulated, especially on the grassroots level, we would not be facing as many problems. Moreover, that implementation will only benefit the country. It will lead to the creation of thousands of jobs as well as a better environment for the coming generations. If only, our leaders cared more about the environment and less about the money...
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