This past weekend I went to the movies with my aunt, uncle, and two younger cousins. We usually get together once a month to catch up and see how everything has been going. They asked me the general questions about how everything was going, how school was, and if anything interesting had taken place and while we are walking into the movies we all notice how sunny it is. My uncle proceeds to say, “Wow, the weather is really nice today and has been really nice all week. Hopefully it stays this way for a while.” We all agree with him, but then suddenly, I remember WHY the weather is so nice right now. WHY the sun could possibly be out at the end of February (which in previous years has not been so “nice”).
The answer, of course, is climate change. I, then decided to share what I have learned from class and their reactions were not very surprising. None of them had heard of climate change prior to my little spiel. I elaborated and told them that climate change is taking place at a more rapid rate due to emissions of greenhouse gases which essentially are produced from burning fossil fuels and all of this is mainly a result of humans and how we overuse and abuse our current resources. I further explained that there are other factors that add to the overall issue of climate change. While I was speaking, I could tell from their wandering eyes, and drifting off to another planet look that I still had not made an impact on them and that they did not take what I was saying seriously so I proceeded to discuss some of the repercussions.
As I said the words “major hurricanes”, “frequent droughts”, “earthquakes”, and “unpredictable weather patterns”, I could tell that I finally sparked a few nerves of interest. I added to this by telling them that these natural disasters may not seem like a big deal right now, but they in fact, can and most likely will turn out to be a very serious issue due to their unpredictability and severity as time goes on. My aunt and uncle were very impressed with what I conveyed to them and went on to say that they could tell I felt very strongly about this issue. I went on to share some of the course readings we did during the duration of the term such as, I’m With The Bears, Odds Against Tomorrow, IDP, and a few other short stories that I thought they might want to check out. By the end of my mini lecture on climate change, not only was my family aware of this issue, but my aunt was even willing to volunteer to help make a change. I added that doing small things like: recycling, conserving energy by unplugging idle power cords, riding a bike or walking instead of driving, can make a big difference.
Afterwards, as my younger cousins walked in front of me to the movie theater, a thought crossed my mind- Were younger children being educated on climate change, and if not, then would it help to start at a younger age? I decided to check out the resources on our blog page and was happy to find a site directly linked to children and climate change awareness. The site is called Our Children’s Trust and their primary goal is youth engagement surrounding climate change. Our Children’s Trust “trains and engages youth in meaning democratic processes, where they seek the support of judges, legislators, and government officials for comprehensive science-based climate recovery” (Ourchildrenstrust.org).
I am extremely glad that I was able to find this website because it is a great tool for getting kids involved at a younger age and for educating them on this topic. Since my discovery of this website, I have sent the link to my aunt so that she can get my cousins involved as well. I honestly did not believe that I would leave a lasting effect on my family, I initially thought that they would still be disinterested. I am exceedingly happy that I was able to change their perspectives and create a desire to make a change.
I totally agree with you that we need to get kids involved at a younger age! I wrote my blog post on how i am doing a childrens book for my final project because I think children need to start becoming aware of what is happening to our earth because they are going to be alive longer than us.
I think it’s amazing how you were able to use the information we have learned from this class to convey the message of climate change to your family. I think that my using many of the stories we have studied, we are able to show people just how severe the problem is in addition to what will happen if we don’t make a change. I also agree with you that younger kids should start getting involved with this issue. Not only will it allow them with more time to help make an impact, but it will engage them with an important topic from a very young age making them more familiar with the issue. This is one of the steps that we need to take in order to start making a positive impact on our planet.
I always find it great when students are able to take knowledge from class and apply it to their own lives. Climate change is something that people need to share with their families and loved ones in order to make a change worldwide. I also agree that all the facts that we have learned throughout this course should be shared with the youth, because they are our future and will have to deal with a lot of these issues directly. These steps need to come into action as soon as possible if we want to keep our planet alive.