Kareena Dhillon
Executive Opinion Editor
It has become increasingly apparent that Costa students are becoming more active in the discussion surrounding climate change. Climate change has become a social trend on campus, and social media is being used as one platform for change. The predicted effects of climate change are coming true before our eyes: glaciers are melting, plant and animal ranges are shifting and trees are flowering sooner. The projections for the future are only getting worse with rising temperatures and sea levels, stronger hurricanes and an ice-free Arctic Ocean. According to the General Assembly of the United Nations, there are only 11 years left to prevent irreversible damage from climate change.
There is a misconception that being a student activist is equivalent to acting out radically and openly protesting situations that one disagrees with; in reality, being an activist is recognizing that you have a voice and using it. Students at Costa have been starting environmentally friendly companies and ambassador programs, as well as fundraising within the community. Environmental issues are fostering important questions that must be asked to promote change.
According to the Washington Post, the current generation believes that activism has more of an impact than voting. The best thing about the youth of this generation, just like with all youth movements, is the desire for change. Students have the power and drive to demand change, and it is inspiring to see how students are now realizing that.
Juniors Maya and Thea Welch have founded a nonprofit called Hermosa Tortuga to raise awareness about the harmful effects of plastic on the environment. They receive donations and sell merchandise to raise money for turtle sanctuaries in the Caribbean. The decreasing sea turtle population is just one example that displays how the negative effects to the environment have significantly reduced animal populations. Although the program is still growing, it is an important model to remind students that they can make a difference by promoting activism. It is very important for the youth to be active in their community because it is our future that we are affecting, according to Thea Welch. In a matter of time, climate change will be irreversible and it is our responsibility to change the mistakes of generations before us.
Seeing as Manhattan Beach is a beach community, it is important to be educated on the full extent to which climate change will affect coastal areas. Rising atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide are causing oceans to absorb more of the gas and become more acidic, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. This will worsen the problems that these coastal areas already face such as water pollution, flooding and shoreline erosion.
Progress comes with small changes and it is important for students to know that everyone can do their part to help. In the face of such seemingly insurmountable problems as climate change, students especially can feel powerless to change the world around them. However, the actions of a few individuals shows that teenagers, do possess the ability to cause long-lasting change through their activism, and that the Costa community is taking a step in the right direction to mitigate the destruction of our local environments.
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