By Maya Ozbayoglu, The Guardian, November 4, 2021
Young people know that our generation already disproportionately feels the effects of the climate crisis. Almost all of the intense heatwaves that have hit Europe since 1950 occurred during my lifetime. It’s likely they will only get worse.
Unfortunately, Poland, where I live, has clung to an energy model driven by burning fossil fuels for too long. This irreversible destruction violates our right to life, health, property and values of the natural world. That is why at 17 years old, I decided to take the Polish government to court in June 2021 over its failure to act on the climate crisis.
The grim stakes for my generation are undeniable. It has been more than five years since world leaders pledged to limit global warming to 1.5C. Since then, emissions have continued to rise, and according to the International Energy Agency emissions will hit a record high by 2023 if green recovery fails. The newest report published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change states that human-caused emissions have already contributed to irreversible changes in our climate system, and are rapidly moving us toward an uninhabitable planet.
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