73% of children face climate anxieties over the world they will inherit. Fossil fuel investments heighten these concerns, worsening the climate crisis for future generations.
Save the Children UK has recruited Changemakers, as part of the global Generation Hope campaign, to advocate for an end to oil and gas drilling. Communities can still show decision-makers that we want policies in favour of a fair, green, equal future.
Here’s Lola, on why she volunteers, and the importance of a fossil-fuel phase out for both planetary and personal health.
‘If we don't stop producing fossil fuels, we won't make it’
‘Only 11 years left to prevent irreversible damage from climate change'
'Extreme weather events in 2022 pushed more than 27 million children into the clutches of hunger'
With narratives like these (rightfully) dominating the discourse on climate change, It’s easy to feel hopeless, threatened, and scared. Reading stories of Australian birds dropping dead from trees, of elephants dying from extreme heat in Zimbabwe, and living through the record-breaking temperatures the UK saw on the 19th July 2020 certainly fills me with worry.
Planetary health is in peril, and it's becoming increasingly clear that it’s also taking a toll on the psychological well-being of our society as well. An emerging field researching the emotions arising from a lived experience of climate change shows that recent extreme weather is driving a rise in climate dread among parents and children, and that young people are disproportionately affected.
Seeing overflow at landfills, hearing of polluted water sources, and reading that the emissions of key European oil and gas companies in 2022 alone could cause at least 360,000 temperature-related premature deaths before 2100 can make the actions I take to minimise my own ecological footprint feel insignificant. Despite already eating a plant-based diet, alongside my involvement with local sustainability projects, I was moved to this campaign looking for relief from this eco-anxiety, hoping to take a stand against new oil and gas investments.
Climate canvas for G20 in Indonesia made by children to express their call for immediate climate action
In November, I attended a Changemaker training day where we heard about the impact fossil fuel expansion is having on children and families in the world’s most vulnerable communities. We saw that the climate crisis also impacts the cost-of-living crisis, adding hundreds of pounds to monthly food bills in the UK. We heard how the UK has approved new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea, despite Greenpeace warning that ’every new fossil fuel project is in violation of the Paris Agreement’s 1.5C warming limit’. We heard how clean industries could create more than three jobs for every North Sea oil job at risk, and we brainstormed local activities we’ll run in the next few months, connecting through our shared desire to make a difference.
Seeing the vibrancy of this community, the passion from other volunteers, and the excitement around the future projects of this campaign quieted the fearful voice in my mind. I understood why the campaign calls itself ‘Generation Hope’. I saw that overcoming fear requires a commitment to hope, a commitment to action, and the belief that this action makes a difference.
As a mouthpiece for children’s (and climate scientists') concerns, this campaign holds real transformative power to stir the debate around current fossil-fuel policies. The UK's Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) have shown that the North Sea oil plan will provide ‘less than 1%’ of a tank of gas, questioning tentative claims that drilling will ensure the country’s energy security. By using community outreach, organising stunts, and liaising with MPs, we are calling for the UK to reflect the hopes of our generation in their policies, increase climate funding, and ensure that fossil-fuel funding is put to a stop.
Generation Hope Changemaker Logo and Call to Action
It is imperative to empower the voices of those who stand the most to lose against climate change, to allow them to take a stand against those who are contributing the most to it. Children turning 4 this year will experience on average ‘twice as many wildfires, 2.8 times the exposure to crop failure, 2.6 times as many river floods, and 6.8 times more heatwaves across their lifetimes' compared to those born in 1960.
There is an urgent need to take action, but also ample opportunities to do so. In a court case against the Norwegian State, environmental and youth groups have recently rendered the approvals of three oil and gas fields in the North Sea invalid. Social action really works. Though climate anxiety can feel debilitating, paralysing, and may lead to avoidance, the climate optimist uses these negative emotions as fuel for the fight against climate change. This is the time to take a campaign against fossil-fuels, to build the future where children's rights, needs, and voices are taken into account.
The future is still not written, and we in the present hold the pen. Let's burn climate anxiety, in place of fossil-fuels, in our transition towards a greener, fairer future.
The actions you can take to battle climate anxiety:
- Understand you’re not alone: These feelings are a perfectly proportional response to the crisis. You’re not climate apathetic, you care for your natural environment. Allow these strong emotions to motivate you.
- Look at climate positive news: Find the good, read success stories, and see the actions being taken in response to the climate emergency.
- Celebrate the small wins: Whether it’s choosing a plant based option for ‘no-meat monday’ or taking public transport to work more often, find a balance that works for you.
- Get involved in climate action: Conquer climate fear and make a difference in your local area!
We're still welcoming people who are passionate about making a difference to our network.
If you're interested in being a Changemaker and campaigning with your local community, you can apply here.
