Present/Future
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“If we continue on the current path of unrestrained energy consumption, there will be tragic,
even genocidal consequences for many living now and nearly all who will follow in our
footsteps.”
–Astra Taylor
Intentional actions have been taken to capitalize on the earth’s natural resources without many restrictions at the cost of destroying the environment. The governments we call democratic are not looking at the needs of the future generations, but simply for the present. Governments favour big companies with money to spend on extracting oil, discarding waste unsustainably, and using natural resources even when we know the detrimental consequences of these actions. Modern day democracies fail to consider the consequences of their actions for future generations, which suggests our democratic systems are flawed. As Astra Taylor explains, “the paradox is that to reach this accessible future, to figure out how to balance the needs and desires of those who live now with those yet to come, we need to tap the wisdom of the past without getting trapped by it.” Is it not our responsibility to care for the demos of the future?
Student climate change protesters in London.
Every day we are only leading our planet, ourselves, closer towards the devastating impacts of climate change and global warming. In our democracy, the current generation is the future. Past mistakes and actions today are shaping the world of unborn generations. Natural disasters, forest fires, and unclean air are putting millions of lives in danger each and every day. In 2019, millions of people took part in protests around the world demanding urgent action to combat the climate crisis before the UN climate action summit. As illustrated in the photograph, many of the protesters were young students. Children are pleading for action from our elected officials and urging bigger corporations to reduce the production of greenhouse gases. But even with persistent calls for change, we are still not being heard. Democracy’s definition includes being for the people. Future generations need to be looked out for, as their opinion has been compromised by the greedy extraction of the earth’s resources.
Democracy, as it operates today, is steering us towards large irreversible problems. By prioritizing a handful of the richest people, democratic governments are hurting the majority of the demos in the present and even those in future. They hide behind the concept of their ‘transparency’ when in reality, the demos of the future have no voice in the actions directly impact them. Modern day democracy is flawed, and change needs to happen so we can ensure that significant decisions are not made without the citizens’ input. To achieve this, everyday people need to assume a larger role in decisions made by their government, to make sure that democracy works for the people. Let’s take action as a global community of young activists that are the future of the demos and strive for the ideal.
Amir J Alex B Mattea C
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