I believe that if we continue taking action, mitigate our global greenhouse gas emissions and the effects of the climate crisis, we can start to see a change. We have a light at the end of the tunnel if we start taking action now.
Alexandria Villaseñor, climate activist and founder, Earth Uprising
At 15 years old, Alexandria Villaseñor is a U.S. climate activist and the founder of Earth Uprising. Our RADIUS staff recently spoke with Alexandria to hear her thoughts about global awareness and change.
Why are you so passionate about climate change?
My generation will be impacted by the climate crisis the most. In the future, it’s going to affect where we live, what kind of jobs we have and where we decide to go to college. A lot of young people are even having conversations about whether they want to have children or not.
With all of these things that we have to keep in mind about the future, it’s very hard for young people not to realize that they have to do something and fight for their planet to mitigate the worst effects of the climate crisis. That keeps me motivated.
How will your generation shape the future?
What makes young people very impactful is when we organize and take action. … We think outside of the box. And we still think everything is possible.
What’s very important about young people and our role is we bring very different ideas to the table. And that is what continually drives us to take action, because we’re going to continue to find new ways to make change.
How does your movement intersect with others?
We have started to change up our tactics. I think now especially when it comes to the Black Lives Matter movement, we have realized just how much communities are being affected by the climate crisis. When it comes to our movement, it’s so important that those communities are at the forefront.
With those communities that are being affected, sometimes a lot people don’t realize why it’s happening, so it’s extremely important that education is there. Then, young people understand what is happening to their community, and it makes young people want to get involved and make their voices heard.
What do you hope to see change?
We need to focus on global mobilizations—getting more people into this movement. I believe that if we continue taking action, mitigate our global greenhouse gas emissions and the effects of the climate crisis, we can start to see a change.
We have a light at the end of the tunnel if we start taking action now. So, that is one of the main reasons that I keep being an activist. It makes me feel better about the future, and I have a say in what’s happening. I can’t participate in our political system, because I’m only 15. I can’t vote. So, being an activist is one of the best ways for me to make my voice heard.
I do think that if we continue to take action and get more people in this movement that we will start to see that light.
Learn more about Earth Uprising and how you can get involved.
This conversation was edited for space and clarity.