My name is Zoe Dubec, and I’m a student at Lakehead University here in Thunder Bay. I've been very concerned about the recent news regarding multiple forest fires in Northwestern Ontario and their impact on local communities. As the climate crisis worsens, it is young people such as myself that are going to be most affected. Because of this, I wanted to encourage politicians to connect with young people and work with us to find ways to address the current climate crisis.
As youth are going to experience the greatest long-term effects of climate change going forward, it is vital that politicians take this into account and work with us to find solutions. After all, as the effects of these forest fires demonstrate, climate change affects every aspect of our lives — from health concerns that are brought about or worsened by smoke in the air, to the mental health challenges that are caused by the anxiety over the potential for evacuation and the ensuing financial costs. I need politicians to focus on addressing the climate crisis in a proactive way, and to try to decrease the risk of these fires being this intense again, as well as providing more support for young people who are affected by these crises.
I know that a lot of young people in my riding share these concerns, and I really hope that our local politicians will listen to us and take us seriously. Despite the fact that we’re the generation most affected by the long-term effects of the climate crisis, a lot of us - myself included - feel like politicians don’t consider our points of view or prioritize us when making decisions. I believe that if we could see more politicians talking with and listening to us, especially about our concerns, and working to find solutions for the current crisis, we’d all feel a lot more confident and reassured in the future for our environment. That’s why I’m volunteering with Future Majority, a non-profit, non-partisan organization that focuses on amplifying the issues that really matter to young people. I really want to see politicians talking about issues that matter to me!
I hope that the politicians who are hoping to be elected in Thunder Bay will read this letter and think about how they can start helping address the climate crisis that is such a major concern for young people like myself — especially in light of the climate crisis as a whole.
Zoe Dubec,
Thunder Bay
