Francesca Hodges
Our country is built on the revolution. Revolutions that are multifaceted– political, economic, and social injustices– being fought for by pure power of the people. In history, a common occurrence is the lower class rising up to curtail the abusive power of the oppressive government. The leaders of such revolutions are usually educated in politics, world-class speakers, and rebel-rousers. Switching over to modern day, the leaders of the new revolution take quite a different form.
The 21 children (ages ranging from 8-19) in America who are the new leaders of the fight against climate change are making a statement bigger than they are. On Aug. 10th, they sued the Obama Administration over the lack of effort put towards climate change and overall conservation, affecting the future generations. The court case will likely be transferred into federal trial in the next month, after being reviewed by a second judge.
The federal government and fossil fuel corporations have asked that the case be overturned to Judge Thomas Coffin on Sept. 16. Thomas refused, and this issued forth a major victory for the climate changing children and teens.
These revolutionary leaders taking a new face and form is truly representative of the American “young, scrappy, and hungry” society that founded this nation. Those who rebel are the ones who are feeling like their natural rights are being impinged upon. Whether those rights include basic freedoms– of religion, of speech, of press– or in this current case, the right of a fruitful and safe future.
In the generation that will have to deal with the errors and undealt issues of the prior government, these children’s right to a clean environment in which they will grow up in, raise their children in, is being completely side-stepped. Climate change and global warming will bring catastrophic events upon their generation: earthquakes, rising waters, droughts, and floods.
This generation of child activists have little to no voice in the government or politics, and when their future is so greatly affected by the decisions made by the current government, it makes perfect sense for action to be taken in such drastic measure.
