I am a manifestation of my dreams
A ring of fire
The condensation on a cold winter morning
I am, my desires and hopes
And secrets and epiphanies
I am so much of myself,
And today I wonder and I question
And I share it with you
I see climate change happening
I see its repercussions in real-time
And I wonder how long we can afford to be ignorant
Till it's looking at us in the face
And we can't blink without feeling its presence
We need a change
And we need it now
Here's what I decided to do
And I invite you on this with me
Switch to sustainable alternatives for menstrual hygiene
Sanitary napkins count for billions of tons of waste every year
And it's avoidable
Walk, cycle, carpool
Organize cleanliness drives
And save the rivers in your neighbourhood
You don't need an army behind you
You're enough to create a ripple
Trust me, waves will follow
I've seen it happen
On days, I see lush green mountains
And the north star and fireflies
And on some evenings,
The smog clogs my vision
And I inhale more smoke than air
Natural disasters in my state
Increase every year
More rivers dry up
More pollutants cloak the air we inhale
Species are going extinct
Nuts and bolts of our plane
Fall apart
But this is reversible
And it doesn't take a lot
It takes you and me
And a resolve
A resolve to say
We deserve better
Generations that'll follow
Deserve better
And when we become world leaders
And decision-makers, tomorrow
I hope we remember
The urgency to protect our environment
Make our sees bluer
Our land greener
Our air purer
Sustainability is the only possible alternative ahead
And I call out to you, the generation to which I belong
And the ones that follow
To do our part
In restoring our planet
And save the most beautiful fragment of this universe.
Original article by Malvika Dangwal, originally published on Voices of Youth, developed by the United Nations Children’s Fund. See An Open Letter To My Generation | Voices of Youth