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All too often we hear about the dire consequences of climate change. However, one thing I’ve noticed is that we don’t really hear that much about the solutions. Climate change is a big problem that requires a big solution. So what can you do? What can one person do?

Maybe you’re like me and you take your reusable bags with you to the supermarket. It’s partly because I feel guilty about contributing to a problem and partly because I believe that every bit counts. But sometimes it’s damaging to the moral. I mean, as I walk out of the supermarket, a conservative guess would be that at least 90% of shoppers just take their plastic bags and go. It feels like I’m just pissing in the ocean sometimes. So, what does it take to do something significant about climate change? Before we can answer that, we need to look at the issue from a broader perspective. What actually causes significant change in general?
 
Origins of change
 
When we think about the Civil Rights Movement in the US, names like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. instantly spring to mind. These people helped to ignite the movement or steer it in their own way. As with almost all revolutionary change, it is the figureheads that are remembered the most. Rarely, if ever, do we think about those initial people who helped get the ball rolling.
 
Would Rosa Parks still be famous had the Montgomery Bus Boycott not taken place? Would Martin Luther King Junior’s “I Have a Dream” speech have resonated as much, had it not been delivered to the 200,000 supporters in Washington? Sit-ins, freedom rides, protests – they all only work if individuals rally together.  It’s one thing for a person to inspire an idea. But it takes just as much courage, to get behind them and stand up for what you believe in. Change doesn’t just come from an idea. It comes from the action on that idea.
 
 
Of course, sometimes people will go to significant lengths to prevent any positive change. The name Strom Thurmond probably doesn’t ring a bell for most of you. He was a former US Senator and holds the record for the longest filibuster ever, at 24 hours and 18 minutes. A filibuster is basically just a way of stalling legislation by taking advantage of democratic conventions. Since there is no time limit set on how long a Bill can be debated for, the idea is that the opposition prolongs the debate for as long as possible (ideally indefinitely) so that the Bill is never passed. It’s the tactic Labour has been using to prevent VSM going through.
 
Thurmond prepared hilariously for his epic filibuster. He went to the senate steam room to get rid of the liquids in his body so he wouldn’t be interrupted by needing to use the bathroom. But just in case, he had some chump with a piss bucket lurking around as well. He probably even played Eye of the Tiger or whatever the 1950s equivalent was to get him pumped for his verbal marathon. Given that he spoke for a day straight, he ran out of relevant things to say quite quickly so started ranting about things from the Constitution to cookie recipes. What sort of horrible Bill was it that made Thurmond kick up such a fuss? 
 
The Civil Rights Act of 1957. The Act that ensured that all African Americans could vote. While the filibuster didn’t work, it certainly demonstrates how some people are willing to go to extensive lengths just to resist positive change. With many years of hindsight, how stupid does that filibuster look?
 
So what?

If you’ve bothered to read this far, you probably have at least some concern for social justice. Or you’re exceptionally bored. Either way, here’s your opportunity to do something. You can be a part of positive change.
 
A new youth led movement has sprung into action all over the country. It’s called Generation Zero and it’s demanding that our politicians take more action on climate change to secure our future. We want New Zealand to have zero net emissions by 2050. It’s a big ask, but think about how much has changed in the past 40 years both technologically and socially. Ambitious but achievable goals are exactly what we need. This is your future after all. Similar youth groups around the world have been highly successful. The Australian Youth Climate Coalition has over 63,000 members and is actively using this as leverage to put pressure on their government. Generation Zero intends to do exactly the same thing and we want you to join us. An idea is great, but it takes people like you to get the ball rolling.
 
Much like the Civic Rights Movement, there will be people who will go to extraordinary lengths to prevent action on climate change. They will distort the science, confuse the public and do whatever it takes to resist change. I have no doubt that the same ridiculous filibuster will be used to attempt to block meaningful climate change legislation. But just imagine how silly they’re going to look in 40 year’s time.
 
Individually, we can shout as loud as we want about climate change and chances are it’ll probably be drowned out. By if we all shout at the same time, we can he heard. Generation Zero is that voice. It’s the voice of reason, it’s the voice of action, and it’s the voice of our future. I have a theory that student activism goes in cycles. The women’s rights and anti-nuclear movement in the 70s, the Springbok Tour in the 80s, the protests against neoliberal reform in the 90s – all of these movements come in (roughly) ten year cycles. It appears that we are long overdue for another one.
 
Get involved. Put up a fight. Take back your future. If you’ve ever thought about doing anything about climate change, now is the time to do it.
 
Go to generationzero.org.nz for more information on how you can get involved.