As the vibrant and blooming spring season makes its way around the calendar again, it symbolizes a season of new beginnings and growth that can be applied to the senior class at Malden High: their graduation and the latest chapters of their lives approach as they bloom into adulthood. Many tend to reminisce during these times on all their memories, and as sweet as that can be, there is a bitter aspect attached to it, which is part of the process of accepting and realizing how fast time is truly flying by.
As bittersweet as aging is, the same can be said for the aging of our planet Earth. Home to approximately 8 billion people, and the only home that we have ever known, the aging process of humans and the Earth are similar in a peculiar way, but also very different. The poignant fact that as humans age, they will never get the years passed back, is not necessarily the case for the Earth, and that is because of the relationship between the two.
Humans need the Earth to survive; specifically, a healthy Earth that can provide all our necessities such as food and water. In contrast, the Earth does not need humans to survive and thrive and can arguably thrive more without all the human contributions that negatively impact the quality of the planet.
The odd dynamic of our relationship with our planet is reflected as Earth declines in sustainability. Issues such as rising temperatures, odd climate patterns, poor air quality, organism disturbances, and many more all contribute to the broader issue of climate justice.
People walking through very poor air quality. (AP pic)
Rising air pollution.
Typically, when one thinks about justice, one envisions the judicial system and other law-related aspects of justice commonly believed to be only achieved if a higher power or leader deems it possible, and if a prime perpetrator is responsible. However, that is not always the case, and climate justice is a prime example.
Climate justice is a form of environmental advocacy that focuses on the unjust impacts of climate change and other climate-related issues on marginalized and essentially vulnerable populations. By connecting climate justice to relevant social and racial issues persisting in our society today, climate justice seekers aim to project their voices for the voiceless and break the barriers between the heard and the unheard.
Though climate justice sounds like a great cause and noble service to our world, one may ask how this applies to them and their day-to-day life as the Earth is so big and its problems seem so out of reach. That is the case for many people, specifically, younger people who do not fully understand the severity of climate change and other environmental issues. However, this is not their fault; rather, it is a systematic fault that has not gone unnoticed. As a result, solutions have been proposed to bridge the gap.
Malden, just a few miles north of the bustling city of Boston, is a community home to people from all corners of the world living simultaneously in hopes of either building or sustaining a stable life and future.
However, as a working-class community with a fairly high amount of residents born outside of the United States, Malden falls into the category of marginalized communities that climate justice seekers hope to work closely with to bring about change. As unfortunate as it is, Malden is not the only city in the Commonwealth that is a victim of climate injustice and lack of climate education.
It seems to be a never-ending pattern. However, to break the cycle from continuing onto future generations, climate justice seekers have taken matters into their own hands and involved a political aspect to their journey in hopes of implementing the severity of climate change into our everyday lives.
The Interdisciplinary Climate Education Bill, or Massachusetts’s Senate Bill 391, is a bill that would establish an Interdisciplinary Climate Literacy Trust Fund to support the mandatory implementation of interdisciplinary climate education to improve the climate literacy of every child in the state. This bill would prioritize underserved communities, as well as communities disproportionately affected by climate change like Malden.
“I’ve always been taught that environmental issues such as global warming existed, but no teacher has actually had a deep dive lesson into it where they taught us how these things happen and [what] the steps [are] to take to prevent them,” stated senior Johnson Huynh, who attended school in Malden for all of his life. He also emphasized the importance of having at least “some knowledge” of environmental issues: they may seem far away, but in reality, they are at our front door.
“Many students are not fully aware of climate issues. Some know the basics, but not enough to understand the urgency of it or how they can take action,” said junior Noha Ahmed. “Schools rarely prioritize climate education, which leads to students being unaware of the impact of climate change.”
Huynh and Ahmed, among many other of his counterparts, agree that the topics associated with environmental issues are not completely unknown, but the lack of knowledge, and issues other than global warming are prevalent—especially in Malden.
With Massachusetts being one of the first states to industrialize in the 1800s, that essentially means that back then, the state was flourishing with modernized homes. However, the same does not apply now. Specifically within the Boston area, some of the oldest homes that are still functioning today reside here, and with older houses built during different ages of Enlightenment and political priorities come old issues that still linger.
Currently, many homes in Malden were built before the year 1978, which was when lead-based residential paint was banned due to its contribution to an immense number of health issues. Since many Malden homes are fairly old, many families live in houses they have no idea were painted with lead-based paint that can still harm their health.
“I definitely did not expect that this was happening, and I think it’s very unfair to people that are currently living in these conditions without even being aware of it…the fact that some of them get sick easily is very sad,” expressed junior Alecia Louigene.
As unfortunate as it felt for Louigene to learn about such cruel lingering issues in her community, she was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to learn about this through further education about climate issues.
Starting during the spring semester of the 2023-2024 school year, the Youth Action Collaborative (YAC) was introduced to Malden High, a smaller branch of an environmental advocacy organization called Clean Water Action. Due to limited funding, the program being extremely new to Malden High, among other factors, it will take some time to adjust to the formalities here at MHS.
Students accepted to the program through an application process gained the opportunity to attend weekly sessions that teach about a new issue that affects not only our Earth, but specifically our home of Malden.
“I had some knowledge before, but YAC has expanded my understanding. I now see the bigger picture and how climate change connects to justice, policy, and everyday life. I also realized that a lot of these environmental issues affect our daily lives and are at our front doors,” stated Ahmed. She continued, further expressing gratitude for discovering a passion for learning about environmental issues and seeking justice through the program.
“The bill is a necessary step forward in making climate education a priority in schools because although [many] do, many students are not fully aware of climate issues. Some know the basics, but not enough to understand the urgency of it or how they can take action. Schools rarely prioritize climate education, which leads to students being unaware of the impact of climate change,” added Ahmed. Her and junior Melinna Enamorado were able to seek climate justice in person.
During the week of February 11th, students and volunteers from all over Massachusetts gathered at the Statehouse as a part of the annual Lobby Day event. Lobby Day allows students to gain hands-on experience with seeking climate justice by accumulating manypassionate students to attend meetings with senators and representatives. Here, they can display their extensive knowledge and deep concern for the environment, then try their best to convince said officials to co-sign certain bills–such as the Interdisciplinary Climate Education Bill–in order to move through the process of being potentially being passed quicker.
“Lobby Day allowed me to push important bills for the sake of the environment and myself, and believe that I can create change in the world through some of the slightest actions…to communicate with lawmakers made me feel that youth voices can influence change,” stated Ahmed.
“I think most kids around my age either don’t understand the severity of climate change and how much we affect the climate, or they just don’t care enough to do anything about it,” emphasized Enamorado. “Many adults, specifically, adults with authority like politicians, assume this is the case for everyone–and it’s not.”
“There’s a whole generation of kids who see the changes in our Earth and want to save it and enlighten others so that they can join them in their fight.”
Melinna enamorado
Although the testimonies from students who interacted with Massachusetts senators and representatives assured them that there are adults in power willing to listen in their home state, there is a clear difference between listening and executing. When looking at other states, there is no doubt that Massachusetts does recognize climate change and negotiates with climate justice seekers better than their counterparts. However, that is not enough to excuse the state for not further implementing climate education.
For example, Mekdelawit Tewordos, a junior at Oxon Hill High School located in Oxon Hill, Maryland, claimed that she was “always taught about the severity of our crisis climate, and I feel like I can say the same for lots of my classmates.” Maryland is currently one of the states that heavily recognize the effects of climate change on their population. According to an article published by Maryland Matters, “a staggering 18.6% of children in Baltimore suffer from asthma, compared to just 5-8% nationally.” Alarming statistics such as this raise red flags that do not go unnoticed and encourage younger generations to take initiative.
This is why teaching children from a “young age [is important], because when we instill healthy habits for our earth into kids, they are more likely to grow up and continue following these habits,” stated Huynh.
Although the fight for climate justice can seem like an impossible mission, it is important to build a sense of community so the mission is less discouraging and more obtainable.
“Some politicians genuinely care and take youth voices seriously, while others don’t,” expressed Ahmed. “It’s clear that not all of them prioritize climate education, but youth-led advocacy pushes them to pay attention. Some seem to support climate education when hearing of it at first but don’t take real action to implement it. Some don’t take youth voices as seriously as adults, and it is discouraging, but many others do, and even just convincing one politician can create change.” To grow as a climate activist and continue sharing her knowledge, she has been greatly utilizing her resources and opportunities.
As we continue to grow and age, our mother planet is not getting any younger or healthier. Instead of following the mistakes of our past generations and working against our planet, we can work towards a sustainable future where the Earth and its inhabitants can coexist together in unison rather than live in a conflict where neither side benefits. To do this, we must ensure that we instill practices in our future generations so that they can flourish alongside the Earth. If you feel passionate about implementing climate education in our school systems, consider signing this petition that was started by a few Malden students seeking to make the future more sustainable for our community.
