Young people admit to having unsustainable habits
Many young people in Europe see climate change as the main problem today. The Lithuanian counterparts are not an exception – according to some of them, climate change actually does not get enough attention because certain people do not even think about their habits and the effect on the environment.
„I think that talking too much about such topics is simply impossible. We need a constant reminder to act consciously. Our habits are often ill-considered, and we most likely won’t rush to change them until something horrible happens,“ a young girl said.
Another girl agreed.
„To be honest, when someone tells me that nowadays sustainability is all the craze or a fashionable trend, I have a bunch of counterarguments. We are far from being exemplary in this field, or trendy. Even young people, who should be thinking a lot more about the future of the planet, often do not give thought just how much they are contributing to the problem. Sadly, I am one of them, too,“ she admitted.
The girl also indicated the exact reasons why she thought she was not an example to follow in terms of sustainable living.
„Even though I often travel on foot or by using public transport, sort waste, and try to avoid, for example, excessive purchasing of clothes, sometimes it takes a while for me to realise that I have unsustainable habits. For instance, I seem to always forget my reusable cup at home, although I drink coffee quite often,“ she noted.
Another girl also said she should lose certain habits for the sake of the planet’s wellbeing.
„I have bad habits and I know that I contribute to the wasting of resources. For example, I often order certain goods online. I guess their delivery chain is not always sustainable, e.g. they are not transported using electric cars. Also, the packaging of certain fragile items is not always sustainable as well. I should shop at supermarkets instead of online to avoid excessive packaging and delivery,“ she said.
Significant decisions by European politicians
Numerous changes in terms of combating climate change depend not only on regular people, but also on the decisions of politicians. According to one girl, even though some decisions of European leaders are often met with controversy from the public, she thought that European politicians should not lose the enthusiasm and boldness to speak up.
„I guess that actual changes begin with politicians having a discussion with society. They have to keep telling people why addressing such issues as climate change is important even though some start thinking that certain topics are being overblown. In my opinion, various decisions by leaders have been mild so far and made with regard to public opinions. We have to take that into consideration because there may be a moment when such efforts will simply be insufficient,“ she shared her insight.
When it comes to measures of counteracting climate change, she also mentioned several recent decisions made on the European level that grabbed her attention.
„I suppose the policy I’ve heard the most about is the European Green Deal, but I still think it should be covered more. Perhaps we, people, do not fully understand how the obligations of member states will affect our personal lives, and for this reason we are against certain initiatives or changes,“ she noted.
Another person interviewed by DELFI also voiced her opinion about the decisions of European leaders to fight climate change.
„Since I’m not too interested in politics, it would be difficult for me to name specific decisions by the European Parliament (EP). I’ve heard about the EU goal to become a climate-neutral continent by 2050. I wonder about the progress towards this objective because there is not enough information,“ she said.
However, she blamed only herself for insufficient knowledge.
„I guess I’m not doing enough to get the information I need or maybe I’m looking in the wrong places. We, the youth, probably aren’t too keen on long analyses and want to process everything quickly; therefore, we often resort to searching for information only on social media. Unfortunately, the almighty social networks aren’t always what we expect them to be,“ she added.
The future of the planet
Even though society is getting more worrisome about climate change, the girls said they were still optimistic about Earth’s future. One of them believed that people awareness would grow, and positive changes would happen soon.
„I believe in the best-case scenario, but certain things do worry me. I think that the most important thing is for everyone to do their part and openly accept what the experts are telling us. Sure, there are sceptics who claim that climate change is a made-up thing and that the planet will continue on thriving, but I guess we are being warned about possible threats for a reason,“ she said.
Another girl had similar views.
„I think that not all is lost, and we can still change a lot. I hope my wishes will come true,“ she shared.
In the fight against global warming, the EP has made numerous significant decisions. Many of them are aimed at sustainable consumption and manufacturing, resource management, the preservation of biodiversity, decreasing the emissions of greenhouse gasses, and other issues under the general environmental policy. It is expected that these matters will remain at the top of the priority list.