“True sustainability means implementing long-lasting and ever adaptive change.”
Anna Park, 20, is the Director of Operations at TREEage, a youth organization dedicated to implementing climate justice legislation in New York City.
I joined the climate movement because I had seen and experienced first-hand the effects of climate change in the forms of inclement weather, unbreathable air quality and nature suffering.
Let’s be real here. The world is on fire. And I realized the urgency of the situation when my own relatives in South Korea had to start wearing face masks to filter out the dust particles in the air due to industrial practices. And this was way before the Covid-19 pandemic had even hit.
To me, climate activism means recognizing the fact of the matter that climate change is indeed undoubtedly real, advocating for the marginalized communities who are often hit the hardest and disproportionately by sudden changes in the environment, and making sure that climate justice is a top priority for the legislators that we vote into office.
In New York City, this means uplifting the voices of BIPOC, activists, politicians and communities at large, and ensuring that this movement doesn’t stop because true sustainability means implementing long lasting and ever adaptive change.