My Home Is Already Being Destroyed by Climate Change
(Editorial is from Teen Vogue)
Kaylah Brathwaite
I have spent my entire life on a dying planet. We know that climate change not only puts the future of our earth in peril, but that it is frontline youth — those of us who live on islands, in rural areas, and along the coast — who will experience its most severe consequences. The infamous 2030 deadline to prevent catastrophic climate change may loom on the horizon, but these youth are already witnessing the extraordinary damage that the climate crisis has done to our homes. Saint Croix, United States Virgin Islands, a small but culturally rich island of 84-square miles and a mixing pot of cultures — my home — is being destroyed by the climate crisis. Alone, I can never do enough to save it.
Before I even knew about the science of climate change, I was already familiar with climate anxiety and existential dread. I didn’t know anything about climate change in elementary school, and I’m sure some of my premature existential dread was influenced by Christianity. But no child has apocalyptic thoughts without reason. My birthday is around the beginning of hurricane season, so I remember the joy of storms that would pass through and how their presence was a source of nourishment and blessing to our lands. I remember floating paper sailboats in our roads before hurricanes, without care of the danger hurricanes now carry. We have seen multiple record-breaking, dangerous hurricanes over the past five years. The seasoned islanders I know are more afraid than ever of nature’s untamable force. Their fears echo mine, and that’s why I advocate for them.
Due to climate change, warmer oceans are producing more intense hurricanes. Warmer air can also hold more moisture, increasing the amount of rainfall produced by those ever-more destructive storms. Stronger hurricanes impede on the livelihood of locals, taking a toll on their agriculture, marine life, homes, and their health. More powerful countries are responsible for letting the climate crisis become so extreme, yet they’ve also left vulnerable communities squabbling for habitable land. Strikes and mass mobilization are instrumental to acquiring climate justice.
But striking is not a viable option for many on the island. People I’ve spoken to are scared of being fired from their jobs or being arrested due to racial profiling; others may not have the time or think the strikes aren’t worth it. These are all valid concerns worth addressing. But right now, I see it as an obligation of mine to use my voice to amplify theirs.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/green-living/my-home-is-already-being-destroyed-by-climate-change/ar-AAHqZzO?li=BBnb7Kz
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