Opinion: We Are Failing Our Children
By Arthur McKirdy
I only recently turned twenty years old, but I have spent most of my life engaged in activism. Not by choice, but by necessity. I feel that people my age, and especially people of marginalized identities like mine, don’t get a choice when it comes to activism. Our lives and our futures are intrinsically woven into the fight for our rights and this planet.
As a child, one of my favorite things to do was watch nature documentaries. I loved seeing the incredible beings that we share this planet with; the birds, the deer, the wolves, the trees. I could sit for hours learning about these beings and the delicate ecosystems they uphold.
Today, I cannot watch these documentaries. My heart breaks each time, because I imagine the future generations. Children who may never get to see the beauty of the mountains, or the thrill of watching an eagle pull salmon from the river. Children who may one day visit museums, not to see the remains of ancient reptiles, but instead to see the bones of species who should still be there if not for habitat loss or overhunting.
I think of the species who I should’ve been able to see. The passenger pigeon, who once covered the sky with their sheer numbers, but who were hunted to extinction by 1914. Or the thylacine, who were deemed a threat to livestock by European colonizers in Tasmania and were hunted to extinction as a result. The last thylacine died in the Hobart Zoo of Tasmania in 1936.
These species are not like the dinosaurs, wiped out millions of years ago by natural causes. These are species who, if not for the destruction wrought by human greed, would likely still be here today. When I watch nature documentaries, I wonder which of our animal cousins who walk beside us today will not be able to walk beside our future generations.
It is important to note that today’s climate change and mass extinctions are not random. While the planet has always experienced fluctuations, never before in history have they happened so quickly. Never before have entire sections of forest vanished overnight, or have entire waterways been poisoned by an endless supply of chemicals.
The death of this planet as we know it is a direct result of human greed. Greed which was first brought to North America by European colonizers, who brought with them systems of money and land ownership. Since then, our politicians and corporations have consistently prioritized their profits over the wellbeing of trillions.
The result? The soil has degraded. The water is poisoned. The forests are disappearing. The ice caps are melting at unprecedented rates. The oceans are rising, flooding island countries and coastal communities. Storms are intensifying. Wildfires have worsened, choking our cities with cancer-causing smoke and burning through the Winter.
So, what is the solution? Is there one?
I believe the answer to this question is a resounding YES. But it is up to everyday folk like you and I to put the work in. We can start simply, by thrifting instead of buying new, planting native trees and wildflowers to support pollinators, and choosing to walk or bike instead of drive when possible. Even something as simple as changing your internet browser can make an impact; Ecosia is a browser which uses your internet searches to plant trees.
If you have the time, space, and money, you can choose bigger actions. Consider installing solar panels, choosing a hybrid car over a gasoline car, or volunteering with an organization fighting corporate and political greed.
However, while all of these actions make a difference, I believe that the ultimate solution lies in a return to Indigenous ways of knowing. The Indigenous peoples of what we now know as Canada lived in harmony with nature for thousands of years before colonizers arrived here. These ways of living with the land are still known and actively practiced by many Indigenous peoples today. By decolonizing our mindsets and allowing Indigenous people to take the lead, I believe we can return to a state of harmony with the Earth and all the beings who inhabit her alongside us.
At the end of the day, the Earth will still be here, no matter what happens. The question is, will our descendants still be here as part of her? If they are, what kind of world will we be leaving to them? Will it be a world of life, where they live in harmony with the plants and animals, where the water is clean and the air is fresh? Or will it be a world of concrete, where the animals are gone, heat stroke is the leading cause of death, and the air is too toxic to breathe without filters?
The future of our descendants comes down to the choices we make today. What choices will you make?