Written by: Roji Gurung - 26007, Grade X
Posted on: 21 June, 2023
The environment has been degrading day by day. Every year news about climate change circulates around the earth. Young people are always seen protesting about the environment around the cities. But why do only younger people seem to care about the environment? Are the older generations not considerate about the environment? The answer to this question is yes.
Majority of the older people tend to forget about the situation of the environment or they just stop caring about it. Younger people become more concerned about the environment after turning 18. Research has shown that people stop being concerned about climate change once we reach our 40s. Let's take an example of Greta Thunberg and Donald Trump. Back in 2019 a young girl named Greta Thunberg gave a passionate speech about how worried she was about the state of the earth in the UN. That speech went viral. Donald Trump, who in his seventies, criticized Greta for the speech she made. Research has shown that this may be because of their ages. As people age they care less about the dying planet and give less concern about the environment. Younger generations are more likely to take climate change as a personal issue and be active on climate movements. Since many government employees are above the age of 35, they too do not seem to care about the environment. The older people usually feel so because for them it's no use for their future. They would want to do everything before dying which would make them do things that are not eco-friendly. This impacts the future of the environment. As for the younger generations they want a better future for themselves and their future generations. Young people are health conscious, socially and mentally aware about the environment. They are all about better health, safe environment, eco-friendly surroundings, and healthy lifestyles at present and also in future. These young generations are more critical on what to do rather than the older generations. They know what is good and bad for them. This is also one reason why they look for a better lifestyle. Older people seem to have attitudes so they would not listen to what others say and be as irresponsible as they please. According to the research, it is believed that the difference between the mindset about climate change between older and young generations is the generational events. Older generations too were young once. They too might have fought for the environment. But as we go through the past there seems to be no changes in the climate. This may be the reason the older generation stopped fighting because they know it is useless and there would not be any changes.
