Youth fight climate change

Having seen crops destroyed and their village struggling to survive each year, the young people from Patalao village took action. They asked Eagles to train them so that they could campaign for environmental protection, desperate to make a difference.

They do much in their local community, but their message is most important for those of us on the other side of the world, those of us in industrialised countries who are to blame for the terrible suffering that they are experiencing due to our volume of carbon dioxide emissions.

William Gazere says to those of us in the West, “You should be advocating and raising funds for those who are suffering for YOUR carbon emissions.”

Lekeleni Beliard adds “Last year we were so sad when all our effort of planting crops were washed away in the floods, leaving us with no food. You are the culprits of climate change. If you were in my shoes, you would change the way you live.“

 How will we respond to the challenge of these young people? We each have to make a choice.

Climate change might not be impacting us much yet, but it is destroying the lives of millions around the world. Will we allow their suffering to deepen further, forcing others to pay with their lives for our convenience? Or will we take action now?

Small actions we can take

• Watch ‘Before the Flood’, a climate change documentary, to learn more.
• Reduce our meat consumption, cut down on plastic packaging and recycle to reduce carbon emissions
• Switch to a renewable energy supplier
• Get involved in ‘The Big Shift’, a campaign to get banks to divest from fossil fuels.