We Live on Planet A: Young People Rally for Their Rights

Young people all over the world are putting pressure on government leaders. Their cause: saving the planet. Their methods: lawsuits, rallies, and education.

In 2017, 18-year-old Victoria Barrett and 21 other young people filed a lawsuit against the United States. It claimed that the government was ignoring their rights by not taking action on environmental problems. While this may seem extreme, Victoria believed it was necessary to persuade the government to help combat climate change.

In addition to speaking at conferences in Paris and New York City, Barrett has become involved with marches and has met with important political administrators.

Like Victoria Barrett, Greta Thunberg became passionate about climate change in her teens. In 2018, the Swedish teenager made national headlines when she camped out in front of Sweden’s Parliament. She held a sign that said “School Strike for Climate” in Swedish. Soon after, she began to travel all over the world to make speeches and talk to national leaders. Thunberg was chosen as Time magazine’s person of the year for 2019 because of her determination. Young people have been inspired by her. They have seen how committed she was to share the dangers of climate change. Many became activists themselves.

Students across the planet who were concerned about climate change began making their voices heard. Thousands of Australian students rallied in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. In Islamabad, protesters cheered on a favorite minister who supports environmental change. In Germany, thousands marched in Munich, Hanover, Hamburg, Berlin, and Freiburg. The protesters included teenagers, scouts, and Red Cross volunteers. Two hundred young people in Bangkok marched to the Ministry of Environment. Dozens of students rallied in India outside the country’s Ministry of Housing.

In 2018, young people gathered at the United Nations Climate Change Conference. They shared their opinion that the use of fossil fuels should be eliminated. At the same time, students in Alaska asked their state’s government to declare a climate change emergency. In Canada, native teens wrote a letter to their Parliament to express concern over land that was being destroyed in the search for fossil fuels.

Being environmentally friendly doesn’t always mean being political. Students join clubs that promote recycling and use washable water bottles instead of plastic. Other students take classes such as environmental science and human geography to deepen their understanding of the world. Some are even attending local events and setting up tables to discuss important issues.

Stanford University offers a project that supports teaching scientifically accurate environmental curriculum. School boards in California have implemented new science standards. These standards promote literacy of the natural world and study natural systems. Erica Wallstrom, an earth science teacher from Vermont, prefers a more hands-on approach. She brings high school juniors to the earth’s polar regions to work directly with scientists in the field.

Students who can’t make the trip to the earth’s poles can find plenty of low-cost or free online resources. Nature, science, and natural history museums offer online summer classes. NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) offer detailed resources on their websites. Finally, some students can earn credit by completing individual study projects. Some write speeches. Some create science fair projects. Some organize lectures on important scientific ideas.

Education is helpful in a variety of ways. It increases awareness of important issues and creates a common vocabulary. It encourages positive behaviors and habits. As students learn about other cultures, they become more caring toward the people who live in other parts of the world. Education teaches students how to approach topics from different perspectives, even if they are the opposite of one another. And, of course, it increases basic concepts for understanding our world.

No matter how young people participate, Victoria Barrett believes that taking action on climate change is what it means to be a citizen on the earth.

“There [are] a lot of actions that you can take,” she says. “And there’s a lot of power you have as a young person.”

The Sound of Spring

Alexa reclined on a blanket in the backyard, silently wishing there was more to do in her neighborhood than lie around, and quietly hoping for relief from her boredom. It was too cool out to go swimming, and yet too warm out to stay inside. How could she occupy herself? Birds trilled in the boxwoods, and, lacking any other alternative, she closed her eyes to listen. The distant whoosh of traffic. A dog barking. And then, like an exquisite melody, the song of children playing.

Right then, she knew what she would do.

The park. It was a perfect day for an afternoon in the park . . . but would her mom take her?

Mom was in the garden. The heavy smell of lavender reached her as she turned the corner. Her mother was a sight! The knees of her jeans were sullied and brown, her shirt rumpled and untucked, and her curly, brown hair refused to be restrained by her red kerchief.

“What do you need, sweetie?”

“Can we go to the park?”

Her mother looked at her gloves, brown with dirt. She looked at the chrysanthemums still in their containers.

“Ask Ruby if she will go with you,” she said.

Alexa looked over at her older sister, who seemed engrossed in the book she was reading.

“So, Ruby, it’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?”

Her sister peered over the top of her book with questioning eyes. Little did Alexa know that Ruby had overheard her conversation in the garden with their mother.

“It is,” Ruby replied. “In fact, I was thinking it would be a great day to take a walk to the park. I can read my book there just as well as I can here.”

“You’re the best sister ever!” Alexa shouted, a wide grin spreading across her face.

Soon Alexa was trotting down the sidewalk with Ruby following behind. They came to the first crosswalk and were waiting for the light to change, when music began playing from somewhere nearby. Alexa paused, listening. Whoever was playing was good. She had to find out who it was.

“I’m pretty sure I know where it is coming from,” Ruby said, seeing the look of interest in Alexa’s face. Ruby knew her little sister’s taste for loud music. It wasn’t her style, but Ruby respected Alexa’s interests. She also knew that her friend Akari had a brother who played guitar, and Akari lived around the corner from where they were standing.

Ruby allowed Alexa to follow the music to a house a half a block away. The front porch was much like their own, with a couple of rocking chairs and some wind chimes swaying softly in the breeze. It was impossible to hear the soft twinkling of the chimes with the ear-piercing sound (in Ruby’s opinion, anyway) coming from the open garage.

Alexa walked over to the garage, and there stood the guitarist: Kaito Tanaka.

She couldn’t believe it.

Alexa had known Kaito since they were little, and their sisters were good friends. They were on the swim team together, she often saw him on his bike around the neighborhood, and sometimes they played court games together. How could she not have known that he was an amazing musician?

Akari, delighted to see that her friend had stopped by, stepped out of the front door and motioned for the girls to come inside. Ruby quickly agreed, eager to get away from the music. Alexa wanted to stay outside and listen to Kaito play.

He was lost in the music, eyes closed, fingers flying. He struck one final note, the music echoing in the air, and then it faded into nothing, replaced by the hum of the amplifier. Alexa tried to let him enjoy the moment, but she couldn’t help herself. She clapped and cried out “wooo-hooo!”

Startled, Kaito took a stumbling step backward.

“H-how long have you been there?” he asked.

“Just for the end there. You’re really good.”

“Thanks.”

An awkward silence passed between them. Alexa cleared her throat.

“Do you think you could show me how to play?”

“Um, right now?”

“Yeah. I’ve always wanted to learn an instrument.”

“Well, I have to walk my dog,” Kaito said.

Alexa looked around the yard. There wasn’t a dog anywhere in sight.

“He’s inside. Guitar’s too loud.”

“Oh, yeah, my sister feels the same way,” Alexa said with a smile. “She’s hiding inside with your dog.”

Kaito laughed as Ruby appeared by Alexa’s side.

“What?” Ruby said. “Akari said you had to walk Rufus so I figured the playing was done.”

“Yeah, for now,” Kaito said. “But can you guys come back tomorrow? Then I can start teaching Alexa how to play.”

“Seriously?” Alexa asked, elated.

“Definitely—as long as it’s ok with your sister.”

“Sure,” replied Ruby with a shrug. “I’m always happy to hang out with Akari.”

“Cool! See you tomorrow,” said Kaito.

Alexa and Ruby continued their walk to the park. Alexa was still looking forward to playing outside, but she was even more excited about her first guitar lesson the next day.