“We live on this planet as if we had another one where to go”

If we don´t change a few things, in fifty years we´re not be able to live on this planet anymore. There will be no air left to breathe. What do we need to do in order to avoid climate change? What do we need to change to preserve our planet?

1. The extraction of fossil fuels, which is one of the main greenhouse gas emitters in the world.

2. The inaction of the political leaders. The whole of society must change but the politicians are the ones that must make the decisions in line with the emergency that we are experiencing. Climate change must be a priority and Governments must step up and take the actions needed to prevent the planet from reaching the point of no return by 2030.

3. The livestock production system. Methane emissions from animal agriculture is one of the major causes of climate change and environmental degradation. It is mandatory that we change our productive systems as well as our diet, which should make a transition from carnivorous to vegan.

4. Deforestation. Today, large-scale deforestation is leaving us without oxygen. Trees purify the air we need to breathe. We are paying with our lives the greed of those who make huge profits from damaging the environment. The over-exploitation of our natural resources must come to an end, and we must stop financing the industries that are destroying our planet.

5. Lack of awareness about consumption and plastics. We are used to buying, consuming, using and disposing. We do not repair in the consequences that this habit has for the planet. At this rate, by 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean. It is necessary that we start using recyclable packaging.

We lack environmental awareness. We live as if we had another planet where to go. We don’t see ourselves as part of nature. We live by no mean in harmony with the environment. We need to change our way of thinking. We need to stop believing that we own the Earth and start feeling part of it.

*Julieta Itzcovich is a member of the movement against climate change Fridays for Future Argentina