Daniel Park
Nowadays, global warming is the most serious problem in the world and this is directly connected with human development. When I was young until now I have been watching a lot of documentaries which are related to the loss of animals’ inhabitants due to interruption from people. However, both teenagers and younger people do not have any interest in this topic. To save the Earth we have to make some alterations in order to prevent teenagers’ unconcern.
In modern society there are hundreds of environmental problems, yet as a representative example I researched to explain about interruption from companies. A lot of companies try to disrupt the forest and cut the trees. According to Greenpeace International’s research, 25 of the main companies that are producing palm oil, shifted from rainforest to flatland. Especially in Papua, which contains a variety of species, is interrupted by them. It has a really negative influence on animals and plants. Because of these destruction, endangered species are facing extinction at a faster rate, and the environment and food chain are collapsing, which could eventually lead to the worst scenario of all — the destruction of the Earth in the future. Therefore, I believe that young people should be exposed to such news and become aware of these issues.
Before solving this problem, we first need to understand what young people are interested in these days. Modern teenagers tend to follow trends. If a certain dance or song becomes popular, they usually upload it to their social media accounts, with Instagram and Facebook being representative examples. Therefore, in order to expose them to issues of environmental destruction caused by companies, I believe that NGOs or even the government should create songs, dances, or similar content and upload them to their official Instagram or Facebook accounts, for example, with hashtags like #bondteenagers. If this is done, even if not all teenagers, those who are already interested in such topics could upload it to their own stories or posts, which would allow the message to reach not only teenagers directly or indirectly but also people of various age groups. The reason this method is effective is that most major corporations and governments are already promoting such social media activities, because it allows people of many different ages to be easily exposed to the content on social media. For example, movements like BlackLivesMatter demonstrate how changes in awareness through social media can lead to excellent outcomes, such as actual policy discussions.
Not only governments or organizations, but individuals can also take action. I hope that not only teenagers but also people of various ages reading this article will seriously consider environmental issues. For example, one could post on their social media images of themselves participating in protests directly related to these issues to raise awareness. They could also go to the beach and pick up discarded trash, or reduce their use of plastics, regardless of corporate environmental destruction. Furthermore, if someone is truly passionate, they could donate directly to an NGO or even participate in the activities of such organizations themselves.
What we need right now is not a superhero. We just need each person to pay attention and care, even in small ways. Then, someday, we can protect the Earth even where a superhero could not. We can start solving this problem even today; the only reason we haven’t is that we simply choose not to. If we collectively pay attention to these issues and work positively toward solutions, we can protect our planet.
Atske, S., & Atske, S. (2025, April 24). #BlackLivesMatter turns 10. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2023/06/29/blacklivesmatter-turns-10/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Indriyatno, H. (2023, September 12). Court ruling spares Papua forest from further clearing for palm oil. Mongabay Environmental News. https://news.mongabay.com/2023/09/court-ruling-spares-papua-forest-from-further-clearing-for-palm-oil/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Indriyatno, H. (2022, April 5). Palm oil firm that cleared Papuan forest after losing its permit is still at it. Mongabay Environmental News. https://news.mongabay.com/2022/04/palm-oil-firm-that-cleared-papuan-forest-after-losing-its-permit-is-still-at-it/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Greenpeace Southeast Asia. (2023, September 16). Why coastal clean-ups are not enough – Greenpeace Southeast Asia. https://www.greenpeace.org/southeastasia/story/62058/why-coastal-clean-ups-are-not-enough/?utm_source=chatgpt.com