He has said the time for action is now, the present, not tomorrow or the future. We seem to have reached the end of the cliff, and have only 4 ways to go, over the cliff, to the left and right remaining on the cliff, or we turn around and change our ways. This is the same message shouted from the rooftops by climate and community activists for a decade and beyond. COP27, a climate change conference led by our world’s brightest leaders and scientists has decided to develop a climate damage compensation deal instead of evoking a global crisis emergency. The old folk who rules this world have given up on straightening out global efforts to change our ways, only to agree to talk about and investigate possible compensation for those regions and nations that will suffer the wrath that is caused by climate change.
Young people face it, and those who understand the ravages that climate change will do to our global neighbours, those who rule care only about today and near tomorrow and not your futures. Like how they manage the economy and their nation’s debt, the young will have to pay the piper and deal with debt payments, higher taxes, and now the horrors of natural disasters, hurricanes, flooding, tsunamis, poverty, mass death because of starvation, droughts that do not end and so on. However, it is not the old folk’s fault this will happen, but rather yours. It is your future that has been economically, climatically and globally mortgaged. Have you filled the streets, protested unceasingly, and voted for younger politicians who understand the situation of the world and want to help? NO, YOU HAVE NOT!
Victim blaming, perhaps, but who the hell else can we blame? Anyone over the age of 50 lives in an egotistical capitalistic box where their concerns are only about making money, mortgage payments, paying the kid’s student debts, vacations and hopefully retirement. Even so-called Communists have given up on this issue and the blame games abound in our geo-political arena. China, India, Asia and Africa blame the Colonizers, and the Colonizers mostly cannot even agree there is a problem, let alone point their fingers at their corporate elites and themselves.
The American Revolution was about the corporate elites of the Colonies getting their own, screwing the Crown. The French Revolution was about revenge against the idiotic monarchy and its supporters’ greedy ways. The global youth of the 1960s & 70s rebelled, protested and stood against war, an economic system that did not care about the poor and real public accountability. The millennials of today along with everyone 36 years old and younger have a lot to lose and yet there is no fear in the capital buildings of the West, East, North or South. The political and economic elites continue to move with the flow of talking points with no real commitment or action taken to stop the wrongs of society or climate change. In 20-30 years, the elder statesmen who rule the roost will be gone, and their privileged apprentices will take the reins of power.
Revolution has been caused by greed for power and economic and political gain. Wars have been fought over the strangest of reasons. Will the youth of today ever raise their fists in rage, angered by their parent’s fear, ignorance and greed? Black Lives Matter showed us that a simple statement can become a universal cause that hopefully will transform political and police policy.
But this is not about race, creed, greed, nationalism, culture or religion, is it? IT’S ABOUT HUMANITIES SURVIVAL. Take action, stop sitting on the fence that will be swallowed someday by rising sea waters.
My young friends, ask yourselves “What If”? Your elders have failed you and their ancestors. Be what is needed today. Show others the way to fight ignorance, poverty, pollution, apathy and fear. A sign I once saw while in Europe, held by a young woman protesting amongst others read “there is no planet B”.
THERE IS NO PLANET B Folks. Only one earth, one love, one hope, one family called humanity.
Steven Kaszab
Bradford, Ontario
skaszab@yahoo.ca
