“We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors,

we borrow it from our children.”

(Native American Proverb)

I, for one, would like to leave a liveable world for my children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and all those others to come. I want to leave a world where they can walk in Nature, breath in fresh air, listen to the birds and small creatures in the forests, and sleep in the cool of the night, as I have done.

I want them to be able to live in a world where everybody has enough to eat, there is education for all, everybody is accepted for what they are, and they are not stressed by constant striving for more stuff. A world where community is important, and they can find joy in whatever work they choose to do. An environment where everybody has enough, and nobody has too much.

That world does not exist right now, and certainly anything we create will not be perfect. We have already done too much damage.

If we do nothing the future is bleak.

The future our children are facing

Huge environmental damage

• Deforestation
• Degraded land
• Vastly reduced Biodiversity
• Melting glaciers, ice caps and polar icecaps
• Rising sea levels

Extreme Weather Events

• Floods
• Droughts
• Forest Fires
• Huge Storms
• Unpredictable Weather for Farmers
• Devastating Heat
• Long Very Cold Spells

What will this bring them?

• Food Insecurity
• Lack of Water
• Polluted Air
• Unbearable Heat
• Vast Numbers of Refugees
• Unrest/Possibly Wars
• More of the Loneliness and Ill-health we already have

What will the future be like for children in developing countries?

• More Starvation
• More Water Shortages
• More Civil Unrest
• More Fear
• Less Education
• More of Their Children May Die
• More Statelessness
• A Bleak Future

Will our Children Lose that Beautiful World?

It Doesn’t Have to be That Way!

Is that really what we want for our families?

What will they say about us in 20 years if we do nothing? Whatever they say, it won’t be bad enough!

Our Earth is beautiful. Let’s try to keep it like that!

What Will it Take to Create a Better Future for Them?

I believe it is now very simple. We must all act!

That means every single one of us. Governments must act, companies must act, bankers must act, community groups must act, and you and I must act.

We need to do the little things like recycling, re-using and repairing our things. We must cut down our meat consumption, buy less stuff, travel less – certainly by plane – turn down our thermostats, and buy heat pumps and solar panels if we can.

More importantly, we need to use our buying power to tell companies what the future needs from them, tell our investment bankers not to invest in Fossil Fuels, tell the press and our TV channels to start telling the truth about Climate Change and the unjust world we live in, and start talking to our friends and neighbours about the situation.

Most important of all we need to communicate to our governments what we want for our children’s future. It means millions of us out there peacefully with our banners or slow marching if we must, showing what we want, writing to ministers or to the press. We must vote for those that look most likely to work on the planet’s behalf, and we must keep protesting till they all get the message.

We Can Save the Earth for our Children

But only if we all think, learn and act!!!

To be part of creating a new and better world creates a more meaningful life for us all.

“If you have a path to go on, you have power.” Tich Nhat Hanh.

We have a path to go on, but we must use that power.

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(All the above photographs are copyright Doreen Hosking.)