“You know in your heart this is where you need to be. You know in your heart, this is where you were meant to be. Your entire life has brought you to this point where you are standing here today” -Grand Chief Stuart Philip
The climate is changing, and it is irrefutable.
It began before university, but my moment of clarity came at some point during my third year. There was a moment when arguments about structural impossibilities of economics, our set way of life, the benefits of jobs and tax revenues, the negative impacts it would have on our social services and all the other excuses we’ve conjured up to push our problems under the rugs was no longer enough.
It took one class and one professor to get the ball rolling, and for this I am grateful. In that class, I read about another two professors and consequently learned that they both taught at UBC. I found myself stumbling into the Forest Science Centre, learning about BC forests, not having a clue about Riparian Regions and Ecosystem Based Management. But what did happen, was that my friend Gordon told me about UBC350, which was organized by that same professor.
Two facts were clear in my mind at that point. First, I acknowledge and understood the real dangers and future implications of climate change. And second, that what I have gotten from my 4 years as a political sciences major was that everything we’ve learned is useless unless we take action. From my point of view, failing to act and watch as we destroy our future was unacceptable. I had to do something.
I’m fucking tired of the excuses.
I’m tired of people who are unwilling to do anything. I’m tired of people who say that it is too difficult and inconvenient to do anything about it. I’m tired of the pointing of fingers and lack of leadership in our governments. I’m tired of being called a spoil brat. I’m tired of individuals arguing that we NEED the jobs, that the jobs provided by raping our earth are the ones our generation wants.
Most of all, I’m sick of people using that fact that I consume oil and petroleum products as a WEAKNESS to climate activists. Of course I’m going to be consuming oil, that is how our society and infrastructure is built. I am taking action because we must change that.
I want an alternative future and I want change. I want the trails, the lakes, and the mountains to be here for my children. I want minimal disruption to our natural world. This cannot be done as individuals. This is a collective problem.
