Image of Greta Thunberg as Joan of Arc at a climate strike in Montreal, September 2019. Photo courtesy of Radu Stanescu/Unsplash.
Teen suicide has always been a pressing matter, but recently it has become much more apparent in society, especially with the prominence of Broadway’s Dear Evan Hansen and Jay Asher’s Thirteen Reasons Why. As a result, many people have begun sharing their personal exposés with the world and have advocated for increased attention surrounding not only teen suicide, but mental health in its entirety. This resurgence has led to increased research on the topic and has brought greater attention to “red flags” that indicate a person’s plea for help. In addition to the research, there are a range of beliefs regarding the question of why teens, in general, feel so trapped that suicide is the only escape. Digressing from the multifaceted answer to this, however, there is an inexorable link between “red flags,” the question “why,” and climate change.
Climate change is a hotly debated issue in society that, much like teen suicide, has resulted in an increased amount of research. To exemplify some of the research, scientists have noted the steady rise in temperature and extrapolated the consequences of the rise— e.g. the melting glaciers and subsequent rising sea levels. In addition to this, the destruction of animal habitats and other environments has begun affecting humans in much more prominent ways, such as the recent hurricanes and wildfires. These consequences have led to the seemingly rhetorical question “how can we mitigate climate change?” If we cannot save our planet, everything that we aspire to be–whether that be an artist, a teacher, or a musician–will all be for naught because our earth will become increasingly inhospitable. This notion seems to be losing value, however, as our government, and our society, has turned a blind eye to Earth’s red flags.
This is extremely problematic. Many of us still believe that climate change is a myth, despite the evidence. People are denying the frightening reality that this planet will not sustain us for much longer, and in turn, are making this catastrophic problem increasingly difficult to solve. This neglect parallels that of teen suicide. The parents, friends, and adults in a teen’s life who ultimately miss the signs are left with the sheer horror of irremediable death. They are forever broken knowing that they had a chance to save the teen but missed it. We cannot let this happen. We cannot continue to ignore Earth’s plea for help. We cannot miss the opportunity to save the planet we call home. We need to be selfless and selfish at the same time. We need to disregard the pedantic happening in our lives and fight the one true battle that matters more than anything— the battle for survivability. We must save our own lives by saving the lives of everyone around us. If we cannot do this, then there will be no future. Like true Americans, if we want something, then we must work for it. Is your survivability something that you want? If it is, fight for it. Save this planet and save your life. •
