The last four years have been the hottest on record, with extreme weather events becoming increasingly common. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration tells us that by 2100, oceans will rise 26 inches, enough to cause “significant problems for coastal cities.” Coral bleaching, caused by rising ocean temperatures, has killed half of the Great Barrier Reef since 2016. In California, raging wildfires are displacing thousands of people from their homes.
According to the United Nations, we have less than 11 years to slow the effects of climate change before the damage to our planet becomes irreversible.
Now, more than ever, we need action. And yet, our current administration pulled out of the Paris Climate Agreement, refuses to acknowledge the detrimental effects of greenhouse gas emission and continues to resist and dismantle previously enforced climate legislation.
As young people, we watch as our future is endangered. If we do not take action, our climate fates will be sealed before we reach 30. This is why we must speak up.
Much of the narrative of climate activism has been whitewashed and centered on those who have historically been given platforms for activism. The people most affected by climate change are the ones who contribute the least to greenhouse gas emissions. From the initial proposal in 2008, The Cheyenne River Sioux have fiercely fought against the construction and expansion of the Keystone XL pipeline, but remain silenced by South Dakota’s state government.
In March of 2019, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem introduced two laws criminalizing protests against the pipeline. Only eight months later, the worst fears of the state’s indigenous communities came true: the pipeline spilled 383,000 gallons of oil across an estimated half-acre of wetlands. Around the world, marginalized communities are silenced in the conversations about the effects of climate change.
In this issue of Grant Magazine, we hope to shine a light on those pushed to the side. We hope to share youth perspective, to educate and to spark a conversation in the Grant community and beyond.
Climate Change Organizations:
- The Environmental Defense Fund: www.edf.org/
- Union of Concerned Scientists: www.ucsusa.org/climate
- Indigenous Environmental Network: www.ienearth.org/
- Friends of the Earth: www.foe.org/
- 350.org: www.350.org/
- Natural Resources Defense Council: www.nrdc.org/
