A Generation Awakens to Climate Change
Our focus at 22nd Century has primarily been in sharing our personal insights, fears, goals, and feelings on the subject of climate change. We would like to present a collection of eighteen essays ranging in the topics of awakening, consumerism, mental & physical health, and activism. We hope that by reading these essays, you may gain as much as the individuals writing them.
Extinction Rebellion. Banner “Rebel for life”.
Maia Brams writes about about a recent protest by the climate rebellion group, Extinction Rebellion, and whether pissing people off is the right course of action in times of great difficulty.
For a movement to move we have to piss people off. People are always going to be inconvenienced by movements but in order to achieve the goal of success this will inevitably happen. The question I am considering as I write this post however, is whether we are at liberty right now to piss people off. In a recent attempt to raise awareness for the current climate crisis, groups of protestors from Extinction Rebellion stood on the roofs of London underground trains during rush hour. They held up signs that stated, “business as usual = death,” and protested on trains, located centrally or going toward London’s Financial district, in an attempt to convey their message that humanity is crucifying themselves for the sake of economic growth. (read more)
I feel that this COVID-19 quarantine is exactly what the earth has needed, to be honest. A break from humans is giving the planet a moment to breathe. I read an article that talks about the lack of air pollution in China, a girl in London could see the Eiffel Tower from her apartment because the air was clear, the water in Venice, Italy has fish and dolphins swimming through it now that the boats have stopped running, and goats in Whales has climbed down the mountain to take over the empty roads of a small town. I understand the tragedy that society is currently facing with people losing their jobs/incomes, as well as some people losing their lives and/or the lives of their loved ones, but I do feel that the amount of people staying inside around the world is doing a lot of good for nature. (read more)