#FridaysForFuture, the environment and its future administrators
Youth should be involved in the protection of natural resources. That is something as evident as humanity is at a climatic crossroad, in which the decision is either to continue acting as before or to create models that are more harmonious with natural life. But, if at any time the “young people are the future” saying was never enough, now it will be less usefull, since we now know that mass consumption is what has brought us to the point where we are now.
Achieving the active participation of the population, especially young people, should be a priority for everyone, something that is not currently happening. “There are other issues that are more visualized by them, and the environmental issue is left out of their actions,” said Cesar Zacarias, a biologist and conservationist dedicated to the protection of Guatemala’s mangrove.
The pandemic, however, has led a part of the planet to understand that the solution lies, beyond distancing, masks and vaccines, in building a harmonious relationship with natural life. And that is we need to strive, according to the United Nations.”Humanity is waging a war against nature, and we need to rebuild our relationship with it,” said Antonio Guterres during the first United Nations Summit on Biodiversity.
But how do we achieve that? “We cannot create an empathy with conservation if there is not an (emotional) bond,” said Julia Salazar, co-owner of a salt extraction company in southern Honduras, who works to get producers in her area to learn to integrate their work practices with the care of wildlife and the ecosystems on which they depend. She believes that by showing people the different types of life that inhabit their environment, they learn that conservation also provides economic benefits. “This is how love for nature is created,” she said.
It is in this path that conservationists put their efforts today. But how to achieve it? For Melissa Vega, a Guatemalan educator, the key is to “integrate a system, however complicated it may seem, so that young people have essential knowledge of everything that surrounds them. But this should not be only from the classroom experience, but should come from home”.
Although in theory the way to go is clear, Vega also believes that it is the same system that leads educators, and parents at the same time, to dedicate as little time as possible to the quality of youth education, since more attention is paid to meeting the standards and requirements that the same system imposes, that in generating effective educational processes. It must be remembered that those who raise the adults of tomorrow, for the most part, are immersed in a culture of consumerism, stress and constant work, particularly during this time of zoom and video meetings, a consequence of the current pandemic in which we live.
“Only what we know can be protected and valued. The first thing to do is to know the diversity of our country and to know the value that this has for us as people”, added Varinia Sagastume, biologist and researcher.
Involved youth
Greta Thunberg se ha convertido en un ícono de la defensa de la naturaleza para la juventud. Foto: Markus Piske/Unsplash
In 2018, in Stockholm, Sweden, a young student named Greta Thunberg decided to protest in front of the Swedish Parliament, due to a strong heat wave and an unusual season of forest fires that hit the Nordic country. Every Friday, holding a sign that read “Skolstrejk för klimatet” (School Strike for the Climate). This gave her world recognition as she appointed political leaders accountable for the current climate crisis. Without imagining it, Thunberg started the movement #FridaysForFuture, days in which young people from different parts of the world demand that politicians in their countries adopt urgent measures in favor of the environment.
“It is not only important that young people take an interest in caring for natural resources, but it is also essential, since they will become the future stewards of these resources,” Sagastume said.
Despite all this, a disconnection between people’s environmental training and their emotional relationship with nature persists all around. “If from a young age we understand the importance of caring for and protecting (nature), as adults it will be easier to make decisions to maintain sustainability,” added Sagastume.
Creating a relationship and a emotinal bond with nature, allows us not only to recognize the other forms of life that surround us, but it also help us understand that we are part of the life cycles of the planet. As there is degradation of ecosystems, the impact is felt by all, even human beings.
Another effective way to involve youth, is to help them understand that natural resources, such as wood, for example, are essential for the people of the planet, but that their use should be based on sustainable models, that prioritize the renewal of these resources, over economic production.
“When we talk about conservation, it is thought that it is only by protecting nature, without using any of its resources, and it is not like that. Everything is possible, in an appropriate way,” said Zacarías, who believes that promoting this knowledge, particularly in children and young people, would help change the extractive mentality in which society lives today.
Fun is the key for an effective education
Dressed in their masks and social distancing, the new normal does not prevent this group of Guatemalan scouts from continuing their work of service. Photo: Jorge Rodríguez / Viatori
The problem is that the economies of the countries are based on extractivity. In Central America, mining, African palm planting, massive agriculture, and unregulated fishing are the mainstays of the economies. Having educational systems that teach how to work with nature should, by force, be promoted by States to act properly, something that does not happen in the region.
In return, the current educational system is based on curricula that reveal some non-essential knowledge in the development of individuals, and, what is worse, does not emphasize the great biodiversity that Central American countries preserve, as well as their importance in the biological processes of this part of the planet.
In this sense, education should focus on teaching how to learn and love, and make education a more participatory process between teacher and student. “It sounds like a utopia, but it would be interesting if students could choose what really interests them,” Vega said. For her part, Sagastume believes that, although in school, we all receive courses in biology and natural sciences, these do not come close to the ideal goal, which is to get us emotionally involved with all types of life that inhabit the planet. “What educational systems should do, is maintain that connection of students with nature, not only in the classroom, but also do activities that promote knowledge of the diversity around us.”
Another thing is to show, as Zacarías mentioned, that conservation is about intervention, with a vision of sustainability. For example, “we all need certain wooden furniture, which is a material that can be renewed in the forest if it is cut in a way that the tree recovers. If young people know about this, they will be able to create businesses and opportunities for them, without harming the environment,” he said.
Finally, the social factor must be taken into consideration. Being in their formative stage, youth will always preffer those activities in which they can expand their social circle, while generating fond memories. This can be seen in activities such as those carried out by scout groups, whose philosophy is focused on forming individuals with social skills of service and connection with nature.
Kaslem, Haris and Víctor are an example of this. After seven months of confinement, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they were reunited with the aim of maintaining a reforested field in the south of Guatemala City. “Apart from the fact that we had been locked up for a long time, I think it is important to come and take care of nature,” said Kaslem.
All three agree that it is important for them to be part of a movement that allows them to serve and protect nature, because not only are they part of the solution against the degradation of ecosystems, but they also create bonds with other young people, they make friends and have fun.
Nature and mental health
Social movements around the planet, demand actions in favour of the environment. Photo: Markus Spiske/Unsplash
“During confinement, many children found refuge in technology, which has favored nature deficit disorder. Environmental education and carrying out activities in green areas reduces the level of stress and increases their involvement to protect the environment,” says an article published in elmundo.es last September.
Society must, according to experts, highlight the importance that contact with nature, and outdoors activities, have on mental and emotional health of people, particularly in the times of pandemic in which we live. Because trees and natural resources, not only provide services on which we depend, but are also of great benefit to our health.
“The health crisis and the confinement has increased the anguish in children, so promoting positive experiences of contact with nature is very important at this time,” said José Antonio Corraliza, professor of Environmental Psychology at the Autonomous University of Madrid. Like Sagastume, Corraliza considered that the best way to teach the care of natural resources is through the promotion of love towards them, since the positive impacts cause “a greater involvement in defense and conservation.” This is documented in the study Young people, education and the environment, carried out on young Spaniards between 18 and 30 years old.
This study highlights that 9 out of 10 young people believe in the effectiveness of environmental education, and that it is necessary to implement new inclusive measures with natural life, to avoid future pandemics. This is in addition to the defense that experts make of the relationship of people with nature, especially with children, since this has a positive impact on their creative, emotional and intellectual capacities.
“Something that my grandfather taught me was to be curious about plants and animals, and what they taught me as a child led me to make the decision to study biology and to dedicate my career, and a large part of my life, to conservation,” Sagastume concluded .