Government officials with degrees and offices in the nationโs capital canโt seem to get it together to fight global warming. So a bunch of kids who arenโt old enough to vote have decided to take the charge instead.
The iMatter movement was founded three years ago by Alec Loorz, who at the time was just 13 years old, but already recognized the urgent need to fight climate change and focus on global sustainability.
Between May 7th and May 14th, iMatter will hold international youth marches to raise awareness of the importance of fighting global warming. According to iMatter, these marches are โthe largest ever mobilization of young people against climate change.โ Organizers expectย tens of thousands of people to march in the U.S. alone.
Beyond the marches, the youth leaders are planning to appeal to the courts in a series of legal and administrative actions that will soon be filed against all 50 states and the federal government.
According to an iMatter March release:
Both the marches and the lawsuits are focused on getting governments to stop caving into the demands of oil and coal lobbyists and to create โclimateย recoveryย plans.โ Theseย plans, based on the best science, will establish peak global carbon dioxide emissions by 2012, reduce carbon dioxide emissions on a global scale by at least 6 percent every year and commit to widespread globalย reforestation.
The action that these young leaders are taking is bittersweet. Loorz says, โYoung people will be affected most by decisions that are made today and yet we canโt vote, and we donโt have money to compete with lobbyistsโฆWe do, however, have the moral authority and the legal right to insist that our future be protected.โ
While these young leaders are engaging in commendable actions, shouldnโt adults be protecting theirย children?
You donโt often see a child telling her parents to be more protective. Itโs not often that a kid reminds her mom to do the dishes, clean her roomโฆ act responsibly. But this is exactly what these children and teenagers are doing. They are asking adults to act more responsibly, to protect their childrenโs future. Isnโt it about time that adults start acting responsibly to protect the climate?
For all interested โyouth and those who love them,โ find a nearby iMatter marching location.
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