Young people and the environment

by Vanessa LaPierre Gervais
18 years old, Caisse populaire de Beloeil

One night, I was lying in bed, thinking. I thought about all kinds of things: what I did in the morning, what I did that night, the things I said and did. In other words, nothing special. Suddenly, I thought about something adults always say: "Ah these kids, they're never serious, or worried about anything!"

Many people think that young people don't think about current events or the environment but that is far from the truth. In fact, we are particularly concerned by the environment and deregulation. We are the next generation, the adults of tomorrow. We don't want to spend the rest of out lives in an upside down world. It is normal that the world changes, but not at the rate it is changing now. Our planet is dying and it is our duty to ask ourselves why.

We shouldn't try to hide it: humans are the cause behind water pollution, clear cutting and the dwindling forests. The catastrophes we face and the deregulation of wildlife are consequences of our actions. I believe that these problems are not irreversible but we have to act fast.

Bill Watterson once said, "It's an outrage how grown-ups have polluted the earth! I refuse to inherit a spoiled planet!" I think this is fundamental since we will be the ones to inherit the environmental problems like a genetic flaw. We have to think about it now.

So, dear parents, grand-parents and other adults, think about this: young people today DO think about their future, the state of the planet and how it will affect us and our children. Don't think that all teenagers are indifferent. Help us build a better future for ourselves and for our blue planet.