An Introduction To Environmental History (ENVS223)
Essay
Climate Change and young people's voices
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Course
An Introduction To Environmental History (ENVS223)
Institution
The University Of Liverpool (UoL)
Book
People and Climate Change
This exam covers the topic, "Discuss the contention that “Although young people arguably have the most to gain and the most to lose in a changing climate, their voices are not prominent in the political, media or cultural discourse on climate change” (Corner et al. 2015: 523)." Second year An I...
An Introduction To Environmental History (ENVS223)
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Discuss the contention that “Although young people arguably have
the most to gain and the most to lose in a changing climate, their
voices are not prominent in the political, media or cultural discourse
on climate change” (Corner et al. 2015: 523).
Introduction
In today’s society, it will be the young people who will face the brunt of the negative
effects of Climate Change. Therefore, it is imperative that their voice is heard,
understood and acted upon by those in power. Nevertheless, the situation is complex
and is influenced greatly by politics, the media and society in general. The following
subheadings will develop on these themes and look more deeply into why the opinions
of those who matter are often overlooked and their voices ignored.
Political Voice
In relation to politics, it is evident that young people are seen as less important which
results in their voices not being taken seriously or ignored entirely. This is largely a
result of politicians only wanting to please those of voting age; In addition, statistically,
younger people have lesser incomes as they are either too young to work or just
beginning their careers. As a result of this, politicians aim to please the older population
who pay more taxes and therefore provide a greater monetary backing to political
parties. The democratic political system of Western societies is also largely to blame as
politicians fight to get into power and struggle to maintain it. Their term in office is short
lived, so current problems, such as unemployment or ways to boost the country’s
economy, are seen as more important. The issue of Climate Change is not seen as an
immediate threat to society; this makes it challenging for politicians to justify spending
, taxpayers money on ways of preventing it as the positive effects will take time to see. In
addition, the lack of monetary gain results in it being seen as a waste of taxpayers
money.
However, young people and their concerns over Climate Change are beginning to make
their way into politics. This is because as the youth of yesterday have grown older, they
have brought Climate Change to the forefront of the political agenda. A greater
importance on the reduction of emissions are making their way into politics. For
example, Joe Biden used the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions as one of his
policies while campaigning to become the next president of the US. As the concern of
Climate Change is growing, political parties are using it as a tool to get voted in and
please the status quo, stating that they could deal with the issue if they were in power.
In addition, the media is beginning to have a great effect on the politics of the world. The
views of celebrities have helped influence how people think. Activists such as Greta
Thumberg’s fight against greenhouse gas emissions has resulted in world leaders
viewing Climate Change as a greater threat to society which has to be taken seriously.
With advancements in technology, it is also now becoming profitable for companies to
be more eco-friendly and use renewable resources.
Media Voice
Young people’s voices are not prominent in the media of today as they are
underrepresented and often portrayed as too radical; this results in their points being
ignored and not taken seriously. Furthermore, as young people have not had as much
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