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But we must be on guard against
despair, which is ultimately just
another form of denial when the future
of humanity is at stake. Yes, some losses
are not recoverable. And yes, more
damage is now inevitable no matter
what we do. False hope is also a form of
denial, but I remain optimistic that we
still retain the ability to avoid the most
catastrophic consequences of this crisis
and save the future of humanity—if we
rise to the challenge and act urgently.
my hOpe stems largely from the
recent, unprecedented groundswell of
youth activism that has raised public
consciousness to new levels and is
pushing political leaders to develop
bold and ambitious ideas to confront
this challenge. Harking back to the
great social movements in history—
women’s suffrage, civil rights, gay and
lesbian rights—youth activists are
taking the lead. They are staging sit-
resolution put forward by 29-year-old
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-
Cortez of New York and longtime
champion for climate action Senator
Ed Markey of Massachusetts. Many
of the ideas included in the Green
New Deal have been around for years,
but they have never been packaged
together with momentum rooted in the
energy and fervor of a new generation
of leaders. The Green New Deal has
indisputably played a critical role in
pushing the Democratic Party’s 2020
presidential candidates to propose
concrete solutions to the issue at a scale
that would have been unthinkable even
just a few years ago.
The recent surge in youth activism,
combined with the recent extreme
weather related to the climate crisis,
have underpinned a marked shift in
public demand for action. According
to the AP/NORC Center for Public
Affairs Research, 71% of Americans
agree climate change is happening. And
among youth, there has been a striking
change among Republicans: A 2018
Pew Research poll shows millennial
Republicans are more likely to endorse
centrist environmental positions.
One of the lessons of my years as a
young member of Congress was that
although change can sometimes come
from the top, most often the biggest
changes start at the grassroots level.
Political leaders will pay attention if the
calls to action are loud and persistent.
Saving the future of humanity is
a heavy burden for teenagers and
20-somethings to bear. But they are
embracing the challenge as if their lives
depend on it. The rest of us must follow
their lead and act before it’s too late.Gore served as the 45th Vice President of
the U.S.ins at congressional offices, marching
in the streets and protesting on college
campuses. Above all, a growing number
of students in many nations have been
striking from school every Friday for
more than a year to demand action on
the climate crisis.
The movement has been led
by a 16-year-old Swedish student
named Greta Thunberg, who
captured the world’s attention with a
groundbreaking speech at the U.N.’s
annual gathering of world leaders in
Poland last year. Thunberg speaks
with startling clarity about the
threat her generation faces and how
political leaders have failed the test of
leadership. Her words and advocacy
embody the moral authority of youth
activists who will bear the burden of
the decisions previous generations
make today.
Youth activists have also been at the
ground level of the Green New Deal