Maggie Naphtali
Meredith Boyd and Maggie Naphtali (right) proudly displaying their certificates.
Maggie is a Grade 10 student at Gulf Islands Secondary School.
Congratulations Maggie!
Channelling Anxiety into Action
Climate change is scary. Plain and simple. As a young person, I often feel overwhelmed by the impacts of climate change, and the messaging I see in the media doesn't help. In the face of global warming, severe storms, drought, rising sea levels, species loss, food shortages, infectious diseases, and the blatant injustice of it all, I sometimes can't help but feel like my generation has been doomed from the beginning. In addition to anxiety about the climate crisis, I often feel angry. Angry with the fossil fuel companies who denied climate science for so long, angry with the ability of these companies to affect policy and public opinion, but mostly angry with the culture of domination and exploitation that led us into this mess.
I have made many changes to my lifestyle to combat climate change, but these changes ultimately serve only to ease my guilt about the climate crisis. They do not soothe my anger, nor do they change the systems at the root of this anger. In search of a way to address these issues in a way that suits my abilities, I have turned to communication. I enjoy analyzing questions and explaining things to others, and I believe that these are my strengths. I also believe that community engagement is the first step towards real change, and communicating the science behind climate change, as well as the issues arising from it and their respective solutions is an essential part of this.
Consequently, I have sought to use my writing and communication skills to spread awareness about climate change. I co-produced and hosted a podcast episode about youth environmentalism, which aimed to address misconceptions held by adults about how young people view climate change and the environment. One goal of this project was to share the perspectives of young people with the older generations, and I believe that cross-generational collaboration is a key part of combating climate change. I also participate in a weekly eco club as a high school mentor for elementary students who care about the environment. Our last project was a school-wide Earth Day event, which included stations about native plants, composting, upcycling, and local and plant-based foods, all led by high school students including myself. In the future, I plan to study environmental science, as well as the sociological side of environmental justice and sustainability. I want to make environmentalism my career, either as a research scientist, or as an environmental journalist communicating issues-and vitally, solutions-to the public.
While I still experience climate anxiety and anger, I have realized that this passion is most useful when channeled into action. For me, this involves communication and community engagement, but each person has a unique skill set which they can use to fight climate change. I believe that anxiety can often lead to apathy, and my message to all young people who experience this is that their contribution doesn't have to look a certain way. Everyone has their own role to play in climate action.