By Camila Marques ’24
Gen Z is the generation that will be facing all of today’s issues in a few years, and even though the younger end of Gen Z may not be able to currently run for government office, they will be able to one day soon, and should be prepared to face these issues head on.
Climate Change
Global warming is a very real problem that will be affecting Gen Z and is already affecting the world currently. In New York there is a clock that counts down from seven years how much time the Earth has left before irreversible damage is done to it. Some argue that irreversible damage has already been done.
Social Media
With every passing day, more and more of the world’s problems are blamed on increased screen time and the excess usage of devices and social media. The most common issue is that people display themselves in unrealistic ways, which often leads to younger people setting impossible standards for themselves in order to achieve beauty. What people do not often think of is how social media is not just pictures. It is also used to spread messages and news. While sometimes the news is accurate, sometimes someone is just behind a computer screen typing something about a topic on which they do not have much knowledge. This often leads to fake news and the spreading of rumors. This sounds like a harmless mistake, but fake news and rumors can lead to dangerous consequences. One of the most well-known consequences, for example, is how many misinformed political ads that are posted across social media platforms.
World Hunger
8.9% of the world’s population is starving. This percentage seems low, but when calculated with the ratio of the world’s total population, approximately 690 million people are starving. This only gets worse when the amount of food wasted is accounted for. 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted around the world every year. If that food was not wasted it would be available to give to everyone facing hunger every day.
Statistics are always scary, but the good thing with having such a large population on Earth is that even incremental changes in your life can help make an impact on these issues. Start small, for example, eat leftovers instead of throwing away the rest of your meal, when you see a post about huge news on a social media platform double check your source before you spread potentially false information, double check the recycle labels on plastic items before you throw them away. All of these are small actions, but if everyone started doing them the world would make huge progress towards improving.
Unfortunately Gen Z has a lot of work to do, and like every generation, it inherited most of the problems it will face. I like that your article raises awareness, makes issues relevant and remains hopeful.
I agree that these three issues are things that need to be acted on in the future. I think that the small steps that you listed are really manageable for those that want to start the change now.
I think these three things are all things we need to face head on and not be scared of. I know many people of Gen Z are scared to face the big, worldwide problems that are being presented to us, but we need to be ready and willing to change for the better. I am very hopeful that we can make a serious impact on the world as we grow older.