JUST THINKING – CLIMATE CHANGE PROTEST!!

By William DurSens

What were you doing last Friday? Were you taking part in any kind of fashion with the worldwide climate change protest? Were you even aware of it or did you even care?

YOU SHOULD KNOW – YOU SHOULD CARE!!

It is sad that anywhere from 60,000 to over 250,000 young adults or teenagers, many not even old enough to vote took time from their day on Friday, September 20, to PROTEST THE CLIMATE PROBLEMS!!

The awareness that these young folks have about their futures, or maybe the lack of it, due to climate change and environmental issues remind me a bit of those who stepped out of their comfort zone in the 1960’s here in the United States to protest a war we should not have been in.

I for one am just absolutely thrilled to see someone like Greta Thunberg, the 16-year old Swedish climate activist, stepping up and taking the bull by the horns to remind those of us who most likely would be her grandparents age that we are or have failed her generation!

In a post from the New York Times, Greta was noted as saying, “Right now, we are the ones who are making a difference. If no one else will take action, then we will! We demand a safe future, is that really too much to ask?”

No, it is not too much to ask and I am impressed with those of her generation who are taking on the establishment governments and demanding they take action for the livelihood of our future generations.

As far as I know there was nobody in our area, or very few in our state that took action last Friday in support of this next generation who are standing up for their future and demanding us ‘adults’ to take action and do it now as time is running out.

I have to commend Greta for having the courage to talk before our United States congress, where when given the opportunity to speak before the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee stood stern and made this demand, “This is not the time and place for dreams. This is the time to wake up.”

As a parent of five adult children plus spouses, and a grandparent of ten blessed grandchildren with one great-grandkid on the way – it makes me very sad that this youngest generation has to stand up and scold those of us who should be in charge of taking care of them.

It makes me very sad and very scared for the future of not only my grandchildren, but the generation that they will bring into the world as well. I wonder what it will be like if we continue to march down the path of destruction as we are now.

It’s not like we didn’t know the days were coming when environmental issues and climate change came together to give us a scientific timeline of major doom!!!

The scary part is that we currently have an administration that refuses to acknowledge scientific facts about the future of our country and our world due to climate change and environmental issues. Instead they want to turn the clock back to the days when we didn’t think twice of poisoning our foods and drinking water.

What is more important – the corporate bottom line and profit, or the livelihood of our world and the generations of the future?

We are beyond the point of ignoring it! We are at that point where we need to consider making drastic changes in the way we do business and giving Monsanto the okay to continue spraying our crops with insecticides that kill bees and bugs that are needed to pollinate those crops is not the answer!!

From where I am in life I feel somewhat hopeless at times and know due to my own health limitations I can not do a whole lot of actual getting out there and protesting, but I can keep barking out the word and keeping perils of climate change in the eyes and ears of all I may have contact with by my writing – and that is what I plan to do.

While our own president refused to take the time to meet with Greta, many other politicians did and hopefully they will take the ball and run with it by drafting and passing legislation to start combating the backward stepping our current administration is doing to protect the environment.

Greta Thunberg voiced my concerns and demands for me when she told lawmakers of our government, “People in general don’t seem to be aware of how severe the crisis is. I urge you lawmakers to UNITED BEHIND THE SCIENCE and TAKE ACTION. People need to treat climate change LIKE THE EXISTENTIAL CRISIS IT IS!!”

Again, I ask the question, what do you do to carry the torch of battling climate change and environmental issues that is given to us by the youngest generation?

Do you care about the future of your kids or grandkids? You darn well should.

(Copyright@2019-CrossDove Writers)