APPEAL TO YOUTH

Youth remain at the forefront of the complex scientific problems and social quandaries presented by climate change since they are the next generation who will both inhabit the earth and inherit the responsibility to protect the planet. It is imperative that world leaders consider the consequences of their decisions and their subsequent impact on youth from the present time and those seven generations ahead, as dictated by the concept of seven generations sustainability inspired by the Great Law of the Iroquois which states.

"In every deliberation we must consider the impact on the seventh generation... even if it requires having skin as thick as the bark of a pine."

It is therefore incumbent upon educators throughout the world to raise awareness among youth about climate change issues, while young students have the responsibility to educate their peers who remain unaware of the issues and engage them in an ongoing dialogue with the goal of arriving at innovative solutions.

Youth education represents one of the most effective tools to combat the destructive potential of climate change and cultivate an international understanding among members of the next generation since it is a long-term process that will impact an infinite number of future generations.