Young people in the Solomon Islands are alarmed by the rising sea levels around their homes, they recently told me.
I had the opportunity to talk to Jerma and Diana, two 15-year-olds living in the Pacific island nation.
They are both from coastal communities and have experienced flooding from rising sea levels.
Their homes have also been damaged in the past by extreme weather, like cyclones.
“It is difficult for us,” said Jerma, “because one day our low-lying islands might be submerged into the ocean.”
I was upset to learn that, if this happens, they could lose their homes and their country’s history would be washed away.
Climate change isn’t the only issue young people in the Solomon Islands are facing.
“The hardest thing about living here is unemployment,” Jerma said.
She explained that their education system is poor and many children drop out of school, making it hard for them to find jobs later in life.
As someone who values education and believes that it can greatly help people, I was sad to learn that many children on the islands don’t have the same opportunities as myself and my peers.
Speaking to Jerma and Diana helped me to understand that, despite the distance between us, our hopes for the future are the same.
“My wish is for people in other countries to see for themselves the effect of climate change and join us in advocating for reduced carbon emissions into our atmosphere,” said Diana.
We share a desire to raise awareness of the growing climate crisis.
We all want global leaders to reduce the amount of carbon that is being emitted and is subsequently contributing to global warming.
Although our feelings on climate change are the same, I realised that Diana and Jerma’s lives have been affected by this much more than my own has.
They explained that sometimes climate change makes it difficult to even get hold of enough food to eat, as flooding destroys their crops.
My own experiences may pale in comparison, but speaking to them made me realise how important it is that everyone becomes aware of and assists in reducing the effects of climate change.
