Around the world, young people have been at the forefront in the fight against climate change. They are building alliances across borders and identity lines in order to protect the environment – their future inheritance. And as Ján found out from students in Lahore, alumni networks can provide support for these efforts too.
Seatbelt fastened. Tray table in the upright position. Window blinds open. Then, within minutes, our flight leaves Islamabad and on a clear November day, we are lucky to see a beautiful scenery of mountain ranges and distant peaks covered in snow. But as the plane starts to descend, the beautiful sky changes colour and a thin layer of light brown dust starts to engulf the historical city of Lahore.
This past November, as has been the case for several years now, residents of Lahore experienced high levels of air pollution – smog. What was visible to us through the plane windows, as Abi and I travelled to visit CARE Foundation, has been the daily reality of millions of people living and working in this capital of the Punjab province.
It is no exaggeration to say that the situation was a health and climate emergency. The levels of air pollution here have been some of the highest in the world. As we were told by our colleagues from CARE, we were lucky that rain cleared the air a few days before our arrival and schools were open. The previous week, the government had to shut down schools for a few days to protect the health of the young people, who would otherwise be exposed to high levels of toxic, dangerous air.
In response to the emergency, Amnesty International issued a call for action for the citizens of this urban hub, so that they mobilize and pressure the government to act. The smog is caused by various factors, not least the burning of crops at this time of year, and as Amnesty reports, also by uncontrolled emissions for example from brick production.
Awareness raising of the causes and responses to the smog crisis was an area of interest for some of the students we met during our time in the city. A group of young women who currently study at an all-girls government secondary school ‘adopted’ by CARE, proudly told us about working with their school’s alumni to make posters, which still hung on the walls in the room where we met. Speaking to dozens of their classmates on the issue, the work with alumni made them feel energised to be engaged – to make a difference with their help. Their school-wide anti-smog campaign was one of the first activities the students and alumni undertook together and served as a springboard for further actions that they are currently planning for 2020.
It is often the case that older generations of students have different education experiences to the young women and men who go to school today. Even at CARE institutions which we visited, former and current students told us about changes they observed. New buildings and facilities were constructed, while some disciplinary challenges like absenteeism were resolved, others arose.
Climate change and the deteriorating air quality certainly shapes how young people experience their schooling and makes their experience different. But it is also a cause common across generations that effects everyone and allows people to come together. As UNICEF shows, “Every year, over half a million children under the age of 5 die from air-pollution-related causes. Even more will suffer lasting damage to their developing brains and lungs.”
Young people, such as the well-known activists of Fridays for Future, have been some of the most prominent voices calling for action on climate change. The lack of radical action that emerged from the recently concluded COP25 conference shows that standing up for the environment and protecting the planet needs more alliances across generations and dividing lines. Alumni networks that inHive help their partners to develop, are but one of such connection building mechanisms, through which young people can increase their civic engagement and gain support.