Young care about climate change

I represent a group of University of Kentucky students who believe climate change is the most pressing issue we face today. It has the potential to threaten our food and water security, increase the ferocity of many natural disasters, engulf entire cities with rising sea levels and rapid coastal erosion, and cause ecosystem collapse.

Today’s youth will see the real long-term impacts of carbon-driven climate change and global warming, and are also the group with the power to change the outcome. We have adaptability and are able to adopt new low-carbon practices and procedures as a part of our day-to-day lives.

The U.N. Secretary General said, “Youth should therefore be given a chance to take an active part in the decision making at local, national and global levels.”

We should be given an even chance to decide on legislation that will affect us the most directly and that threatens our future livelihoods. We should be educated on the dangers of climate change, the driving force behind global warming, how to effectively understand and resist legislation that is detrimental to the environment and to us, and should be given detailed lists that outline the many ways we can shrink our own carbon footprints.

This story was originally published June 2, 2017 at 5:31 PM with the headline "Young care about climate change."