I am an Earth System Science student at Bristol Uni, and my studies have truly opened my eyes to what we have done to our world. I would liken it to watching a car crash in slow motion; the feeling I felt when I realised that the generation in power had let me down before I was even old enough to realise, was pure outrage. How dare they have shepherded our world into a state where species are dying at the same rate of the cretaceous mass extinction?  How dare they ignore scientific advice going back to the early 70′s that humans were changing the climate?  How dare they allow the overfishing of the seas, the deforestation of the world’s tropical forests, the formation of oceanic dead zones? How dare they socialise the risk of earth system collapse on future generations, and give the short term profits to faceless undemocratic corporate entities? How dare they export emissions, pollution and the health problems they bring to developing countries?!

It seems to me that most people are ignoring the direct challenge to their self-professed sense of morality that environmental issues pose. Human and environmental issues are so intricately intertwined (as well they should be, we are part of the earth system) that environmental issues are intrinsically humanitarian issues also. This was highlighted in the report recently published by Kofi Annan’s think tank, the Global Humanitarian Forum. The majority of people would like to consider themselves compassionate, and ethically sound. This could be rooted in faith or simply personal belief in human rights and equality. However many, I believe have not taken the time to think about what this means environmentally.

It is an established fact that climate change already causes 300,000 deaths a year. We know the future holds terrible things for the 3 billion people living on less than $3 a day if mitigation and adaptation isn’t addressed. We also know that our personal and collective actions contribute towards environmental destruction. This could be CO2 emissions, or purchasing hardwoods, or eating soya, meat or palm oil from deforested areas or eating critically endangered fish.

On the news, in blogs, in conversations and in charitable donations we pour our empathy towards those suffering in the third world (though often not those in poverty in our “rich” nations), £2 a month to Oxfam absolves us of guilt at minimal cost in terms of physical effort. We proclaim I care!  Except in all our daily actions, purchases, travel, politics we are total and utter hypocrites and no one is willing to admit it. Either we take environmental issues seriously and change our actions or we must admit that we are not the morally sound people we would like to think we are.

This is my basis for action, I care deeply about the environment and for people. I am simply not willing to sit back and knowingly allow both to be poisoned by modern industrial society. Liberty is a great thing but is it really liberty when the actions you choose inhibit the liberty of others?

I have the belief that now is a great moment for change in the world. Globalisation has redefined what it is to be a person on the earth. Global issues require global solutions; climate change alone creates an imperative for worldwide renewal. A renewal of energy, economies, homes, transport, the way societies function. I see it as a chance to address the inequalities that I read and rage about on a daily basis. I can see a cleaner, nicer future with amazing technology, closer communities and a more globally aware society. That’s why this is such an exciting movement to be a part of, its literally opening a blank page for human ingenuity to fill with amazing solutions. Like it or not our generation is going to be the one driving the majority of the change in the first half of this century.

For me the crucial thing now is to make sure our elected representatives aren’t allowed to cop out any more. They’ve screwed up for long enough and we are literally at the point where if we wait any longer catastrophic climate change is a near certainty. Sadly the older generation haven’t yet seemed to grasp the immediacy of this and we have no choice but to use all the political leverage we can muster to tell them we won’t have them mess up on our behalf again. It’s time to get active and be the change.

By Samuel Lee-Gammage