Climate Blogger Reacts to “Dear Future Generations: Sorry” by Prince Ea

Climate change has been the topic of many protests and discussions lately. Prince Ea, a YouTuber, is known for creating inspiring videos, and he made one about climate change. I watched the video to understand and reflect on what he says. Let’s begin.

"Dear Future Generations,

I think I speak for the rest of us

When I say,

Sorry, sorry we left you with

Our mess of a planet.

Sorry that we were too caught up in our own doings to do something.

Sorry we listened to people

Who made excuses,

To do nothing."

Since the Industrial Revolution, Earth has been treated like garbage, and this was made aware a long time ago, but not much was done about it. More awareness spread beginning in the twenty-first century, and Millennials have expressed anger towards the older generations who have not set many environmental regulations.

"I hope you forgive us,

We just didn't realize how special

The earth was,

Like a marriage going wrong,

We didn't know what we had

Until it was gone."

It's natural not to realize the consequences of one’s actions until they have a noticeable effect on people’s lives. People have polluted for a long time, but climate activism is more recent.

"For example,

I'm guessing you probably know it as the Amazon Desert, right?

Well believe it or not,

It was once called the Amazon Rain Forest,

And there were billions of trees there,

And all of them gorgeous and, oh.

Oh, you don't know much about trees, do you?

Well let me tell you that trees

Are amazing,

And I mean, we literally breath the air

They are creating, and they clean

Up our pollution,

Our carbon, they store and purify water,

Give us medicine that cures our diseases, food that feeds us.

Which is why I am so sorry,

To tell you that,

We burned them down.

Cut them down with brutal machines, horrific,

At a rate of 40 football fields

Every minute,

That's 50% of all the trees

In the world all gone

In the last 100 years.

Why? For this."

Trees have a symbiotic relationship with humans, but despite all they do for us, we chop them down by the masses. Why? Greed and money. Environmental regulations are needed to protect trees. Cutting down forests destroys animal life as well. Trees are a sole part of ecosystems, and with them gone, the organisms in ecosystems with trees will not be able to survive. 

"And that wouldn't make me so sad,

If there weren't so many pictures

Of leaves on it.

You know when I was a child,

I read how the Native Americans had such consideration,

For the planet that they felt responsible,

For how they left the land

For the next 7 generations."

Native American culture had great respect for nature. Ever since Europe colonized America, hunters over hunted and loggers over logged. 

"Which brings me great sorrow,

Because most of us today,

Don't even care about tomorrow.

So I'm sorry, I'm sorry that we put profit above people,

Greed over need, the rule of gold above the golden rule.

I'm sorry we used nature as a credit card with no spending limit.

Over drafting animals to extinction,

Stealing your chance to ever see

Their uniqueness,

Or become friends with them."

Participants of modern society care more about success and instant gratification than anything else. The appeal of wealth is apparent from around the globe. There are ways to be affluent and eco-friendly. Just ask Elon Musk! 

"Sorry we poison the oceans so much that you can't even swim in them.

But most of all, i'm sorry

About our mindset,

'Cause we had the nerve to call this destruction,

'Progress.'"

In the glory days of the Industrial Revolution, emitting dangerous chemicals into the atmosphere was seen as progress, but there was very little environmental awareness. Today, we continue to view industry as progress, but not necessarily the aspect of polluting the atmosphere.

"Hey Fox News, if you don't think climate change is a threat

I dare you to interview the thousands of homeless people in Bangladesh

See, while you were in your

Penthouse nestled,

Their homes were literally washed away

Beneath their feet due to

The rising sea levels,"

The people who pay the price of climate change are not the ones who cause it. Members of wealthy economies have the most negative effect on climate, but they live in the places where they are least affected by their actions. 

"And Sara Palin, you said that you love the smell of fossil fuels,

Well I urge you to talk to

The kids of Beijing

Who are forced to wear pollution masks just to go to school."

Beijing has nasty air pollution to the point where it is unsafe to go outside without a mask. Prince Ea understandably feels anger towards people who don't mind the use of fossil fuels.

"See, you can ignore this, but the thing about truth is,

It can be denied, not avoided."

We cannot escape the reality climate change will bring. If we take the responsible path, we will fight it. People, however, will always deny it. Even if everybody denies it, climate change will wreak havoc and cannot be avoided.

"So I'm sorry future generations,

I'm sorry that our footprints became a sinkhole and not a garden.

I'm sorry that we paid so much

Attention to ISIS,

And very little how fast the ice

Is melting in the arctic.

I'm sorry we doomed you

And I'm sorry we didn't find another planet in time to move to.

I am s…"

In the future, if we don’t take care of climate change, we will have to owe a lot of people and other species a major apology.

"You know what, cut the beat,

I'm not sorry.

This future I do not accept it,

Because an error does not

Become a mistake,

Until you refuse to correct it."

Even though we have waited, we still have time to act. If we can come together and fight climate change, this will go down as one of mankind’s greatest victories.

"We can redirect this, how?

Let me suggest that if a farmer sees

A tree that is unhealthy,

They don't look at the branches

To diagnosis it,

They look at the root, so like that farmer,

We must look at the root,

And not to the branches

Of the government,

Not to the politicians run by corporations.

We are the root, we are the foundation, this generation,"

When we want to fix an issue, we must start with what is causing it. We, the people, can lead a more sustainable lifestyle with awareness for our home.

"It is our only home, we must globally warm our hearts

And change the climate of our souls

And realize that we are not apart

From nature,

We are a part of nature.

And to betray nature is to betray us,

To save nature, is to save us."

Would you destroy your house or apartment? Probably not. Earth is the home to all human beings plus a plethora of plants, animals, bacteria, and more. If we destroy it, we destroy ourselves.

"Because whatever you're fighting for:

Racism, Poverty, Feminism, Gay Rights,

Or any type of Equality.

It won't matter in the least,

Because if we don't all work together to save the environment,

We will be equally extinct.

Sorry."

Climate change threatens all inhabitants of Earth, and we must unite to stop it from getting out of hand.

He then went on to explain how we can combat it with Stand For Trees. Prince Ea is an artist who makes inspiring YouTube videos. Check out Prince Ea’s full video here.

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