On the Cusp: Navigating Young Adulthood in the World of Climate Change

Climate change, we all hear about it. As if it's entirely abstract, detached from our reality. A fictional villain, one we can not see or even begin to perceive. But this is perhaps the most terrifying kind of threat, one that is intangible, beyond our capabilities to understand as it exists in the future. But if we want to exist in the future, we must take action. At least that is what we are told. “Take action”. Governments develop action plans, but what does this even mean, and what does individual action look like when you are dealing with an inconceivable threat? Specifically for young adults, with future dreams and aspirations. A future which may not even exist, and that is not something that I can personally control no matter how hard I try.

I am torn between pessimism and optimism. It's hard not to feel like my actions are insignificant. Meeting people in PCA and being surrounded by passionate driven individuals gives me hope. Hope in humanity and our ability to triumph and overcome even the most devastating challenges. However hope is no match for giant corporations-- that value money over human life and the future of this planet-- hope is only a start. Discouragement is ample, it takes but a quick glance at the news; hope is hard to come by. I find it mostly in my conversations with other environmentalists. Thus I would urge all young adults, really anybody who cares, to join environmental clubs. There is solace in numbers; the only way to fight an inconceivable treat is together.

Secondly I am a strong believer in education. It seems simple but disinformation is a major culprit of polarization, which has made it virtually impossible for the federal government to pass a substantive proposal. By education I don’t mean technical understandings of complex scientific phenomena, I mean critically thinking about climate change, understanding how it relates to you personally. It is undoubtedly a bit discouraging; the intersectionality of climate change and other world issues such as poverty and racism surely makes things more complicated. Additionally we have created a sort of unbreakable negative feedback loop where in order to continue to sustain our lifestyle we depend on destroying the planet. In order to sustain without fossil fuels we need innovative technologies, or we need a dramatic change in the way that we live, both of which are unlikely. The technologies necessary don’t exist, and humans are pretty notorious for being resistant to change. But it really just takes enough people caring, and it is through education that we make people care. Even inconceivable threats become conceivable when they are personal. With climate change affecting almost every aspect of human livelihood, everyone has a personal stake, it’s just about finding it.

It’s all about starting small. Finding the spark, the passion, the energy to actually do something is the hardest part. It's all really in one action, because that's all it takes. Deciding to join a zoom one day, sending an email. I suppose it’s easy to say in hindsight, but when I reached out to Ann and decided to join PCA for the first time I truly never imagined that it would lead to a position on the environmental board, or a food waste project, or even that putting energy into environmental advocacy would be something that I find fulfilling and invigorating. That's the biggest thing to remember: little things lead to bigger things.

Perhaps it is this post that inspires you, perhaps it is something else or nothing at all; but the point is, take that step, whatever it looks like for you.