The world is advancing at a fast pace. It is beyond doubt that human race has made significant achievements in the last few decades. Child mortality has been reduced drastically, and we have succeeded in almost eradicating polio from every country. As well, Communication barriers have been broken down through the invention of the internet, mobile phones, and the computer; thereby creating a more globalized and inter-connected world. In addition, life expectancy has been increased appreciably and illiteracy rate reduced. So, all is well?
“The world is in a mess”, these were the exact words of UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres at the climate change deal at Paris in 2017. The world is in a state of controversy that threatens its own very existence. Global warming and climate change are threatening the earths eco-system and poses a serious threat to man’s survival in the future. To add to this, global youth unemployment is escalating and the world food security problem remains unsolved. The aftermath of the Paris climate change deal saw world leaders at loggerhead over a deal that is supposed to protect the planet and safe humans in the future. This development left me wondering if we are not being too selfish and less concern about the future. We are busy accelerating natural degradation and inventing technologies that are outpacing humans at workplaces, and invariably doing less to combat the consequences and implications for the younger generation.
The lumpfish or lumpsucker is a type of fish that does a wonderful work protecting its to-be-born children. The male uses his sucker to anchor himself next to the eggs and devote himself completely to them for one or two months until they hatch, without moving or eating during this time. He defends the eggs from scavengers such as crabs or starfish which might want to eat them. I believe human race can learn a great deal from the lumpsucker fish, which nearly does a kamikaze protecting its young. The time has come for us to emulate this wonderful creature. We have to sacrifice for the future of the younger generation now, we have to endeavor to pass on a more sustainable world to them. And how can we achieve this? In my opinion, there are two basic tasks citizens around the world can undertake.
First, we have to make concerted efforts towards ensuring the widespread information on climate change and the greenhouse effect. Most people are still not aware of what is happening to our planet. Last year, during the semester vacation, I was opportune to visit some schools in my community. During my interaction with the students, I found out that they were in the dark on the issue of climate change. Most of the students knew little or nothing about the UN climate action goal. After taking them through the topic, they were all very happy. At least, they now know that our world is endangered and that they have a role to play in ensuring the sustainability of our planet. After that visit, I was moved to create a blog site that will focus on informing the public about climate change and its adverse effects. I believe creating such avenue to inform the public about things like; planting a tree, using clean energy, etc. would go a long way in ensuring the safety of our plant; and most importantly, the safety of the future generation.
Secondly, efforts must be made towards imbibing the spirit of entrepreneurship among the younger generation. By 2030, an additional 500 million jobs need to be created to cater for the unemployed and new workers. Hence, we need to invest in the younger generation; so as to make them creators of employment and not necessarily job seekers.
The countdown has begun, we can choose to go down in history as a selfish generation that cared not about the future of its kind, or we can learn from the selfless lumpfish, and be remembered as the people who paid the price for the future of the younger generation.
Link To Article: https://youth-journal.org/safeguarding-the-future-of-the-younger-generation-a-lesson-