Today's generation of students faces a unique threat to their future, including their quality of life, the livability of their world, and the real potential of ecosystem collapse within their lifetimes. The reality of accelerating Climate Change has been scientifically established for more than a decade, and each new scientific study indicates that the threat of climate is even more accelerated and severe than previously understood.
The parents and grandparents of today's high school students will be able to avoid most of the damage from Climate Change during their lifetimes, but today's students will in their lifetimes experience a world that is far hotter, more dangerous, and more inequitable. It is projected that by 2050 when students today will be in their mid-40s, that more than a billion people could be forced live in places too hot for human habitability outside or in places that lack air conditioning (more than 90% of people in developing countries have no air conditioning).
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For more than a decade, there has been scientific consensus that manmade Climate Change is causing increasing damage, premature deaths, loss of species, and growing inequity globally. Even oil companies that have previously funded climate-denier campaigns, are now acknowledging Climate Change and rapidly expanding investments in zero-carbon renewable energy, such as solar and wind.
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In July of 2021 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its most comprehensive report to date. The report documents the devastating impact of Climate Change and concludes that only a brief window of opportunity exists for us to take action in order to avoid the most drastic of consequences.
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The IPCC report and summary are available here: