When presented with the factual inevitability of the climate crises, youth across circumstances struggle to cope, join the climate justice movement, and ultimately, create an impact. These struggles are not limited to young adults aged 18 to 30—as most constituencies describe youth—but also children and adolescents. Children and adolescents are often amongst the most affected, due to factors such as dependence and other vulnerabilities, and their rights and such are just as often central to climate discourse. Everyone talks about the next generation and preserving the earth well for our children. Whether children are actually a part of these conversations…
Read moreFor a conference sponsored by Coca-cola, it is not surprising that representatives of the most-polluting fossil fuel industries at the COP27 increased by 25% from last year, overshadowing the number of representatives from any global south nation. Moreover, COP27, which concluded recently, failed to highlight the irreversible damage caused by fossil fuels. The brief mention of fossil fuels was related to phasing out “inefficient" fossil fuel subsidies and not all fossil fuel subsidies. The pollutant’s very name was explicitly avoided in the final key decisions draft, despite India pushing for a Fossil Fuel phase-down. The slippery language used for the…
Read moreDear General Public, Corporations, and Decision-makers of Mumbai, I, like many of my fellow students, grew up in a world where our present, future and heritage are under-threat due to climate change. As I discovered more about the social and ecological issues around me, the definitions of eco-angst and climate anxiety became unnervingly familiar. Growing up in the 21st Century, we hear a lot about the environment—campaigns to “save electricity”, “save water” and “use paper bags”—but I always felt this approach does not look at the large-scale destruction and the climate disasters caused by it. We are told to micromanage…
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