Climate change is a racist and classist crisis—and it’s the youth who will inherit it

What’s one of the most unsettling aspects about climate change that often gets obscured? Its effects aren’t distributed evenly across the world. It’s the global south with marginalized communities and often poor economies that’s affected by it the most. That immediately makes this an issue of race and wealth, with already-oppressed communities being hit more than the privileged.

Most vulnerable countries to sea level rise are mostly located in the Indo-Pacific area which includes the Philippines and Indonesia whereas, a couple of weeks ago, Jakarta which happens to be the Capital City of Indonesia has been reported sinking.

— Youth Strike for Climate PH (@Youth4ClimatePH) May 17, 2019

As a third world country with brownness a huge part of our genetic makeup, this makes it even more imperative for us to join in the fight to stop climate change. This isn’t limited to skipping plastic straws and cellophane bags (though yes, please do that). In the grand scheme of things, your personal actions are worthless if it’s not tempered with activism. Lasting, restorative change needs governments to take concrete actions to implement sustainability practices and bring down large-scale polluters. And many of the lawmakers who can do this just don’t care, simply because they’re not the ones who’ll experience it—it’s the generations after them, the young people.

This is why we’re joining the climate strike on May 24 at Mendiola.

Filipino youth climate activists are taking to the streets in at least FIFTEEN CITIES in the country. Climate change exacerbates every other injustice out there – from human rights violations to poverty incidence, gender violence to the abuse of laborers. We need volunteers! RT pic.twitter.com/YzTICTUo6Y

— Beatrice Tulagan (@beatulagan) May 23, 2019

In at least 15 cities around the country, young activists are taking to the streets to protest climate change inaction and demand for climate justice. It’s part of a global movement Youth Strike for Climate, made up of all the young people tired of hearing previous generations undermining the effects of global warming and/or making false promises to put an end to it. The strike was created by Greta Thunberg, 16 year old climate change activist wonder, in 2018. (Read: Greta Thunberg: How a 16-year-old will save the world)

Global strike on May 24th.
1263 places in 107 countries.
And counting.
Everyone is welcome.
Everyone is needed.
Find your closest strike or register your own at https://t.co/Fu0gVe3IOc .
Please spread the word!#FridaysForFuture #ClimateStrike #SchoolStrike4Climate pic.twitter.com/8dVA77HQP3

— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) May 20, 2019