MAGGIE CONKLIN

This week’s writer is Middlebury resident Maggie Conklin, a 2023 graduate of Middlebury Union High School and current undergraduate at Dickinson College.

“I’m still undecided, but as of right now I’m considering environmental science,” I’ve responded to basically every curious relative who has asked about college plans, even before I started receiving acceptance letters.

“Oh good, we need more people like you to fix this,” my great uncle answered, representing a common stance of his generation. It’s either that or a very emphatic explanation of why climate change doesn’t exist. My great aunt smacked his arm and quickly responded, “It’s not just up to them; we’re still around.” Huh. That’s unexpected.

For years, my generation has been defined as the “climate generation,” the generation that will fix all of the damage done to global health and climate change post-Industrial Revolution. The general thought is that, somehow, we have all the solutions for the problems that have been created by past generations, the ones that gave us this title. This, for the most part, is not true. Certainly, our generation has had the most access to technology and knowledge than any generation before, allowing new innovations and solutions to change the way we approach climate change. However, the focus on our influence excludes everyone who came before us and places the full burden of problems we had no part in creating on our shoulders.

Climate change is a massive problem that seems to be getting worse with each passing year, and no matter where you are, the effects are being felt. According to NASA, the summer of 2023 was the hottest on record. The average temperature during the course of the summer was .41 degrees Fahrenheit over normal temperatures, and August alone was 2.2 degrees Fahrenheit above average. This year’s sweltering heat contributed to various climate events that wreaked havoc across the world. Canadian wildfires destroyed countless miles of land and homes, and heat waves endangered our most vulnerable groups. In my home state of Vermont, we faced devastating floods that forced residents of Montpelier to paddle through the streets in kayaks and business owners to discard thousands of dollars’ worth of water-damaged goods. Even in areas not devastated by flooding, people spent sleepless nights pumping water out of their basements in an attempt to save their homes and belongings. Weather events have been increasing in size and while, in the past, there has been time to recover between them, now they occur so regularly that it has proven difficult to rebound quickly. As these trends become more apparent, the difficult next step is figuring out where to begin to address them — which is where the older generations tend to step away.

In the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? the phone-a-friend lifeline helps contestants who are stuck on a difficult question by allowing them to call someone who may have the answer. Though climate change is no game, we can take this idea and implement it as a way to manage this global threat. Rather than pinning all of the blame or work on one generation, we have a unique opportunity to come together and use our strengths for the greater good. Having come of age during the 1960s, a time of great social change, Baby Boomers have been both one of the most politically active generations, and have the most resources at their disposal. Gen Z lacks great influence and experience enacting political change, not to mention time and money to devote to climate causes. Bringing together these generations and their resources opens new doors for change. Organizations like Third Act do just that by organizing events specifically catered to people over 60, often working to create community between younger and older generations to unite them under a common goal. While older residents may not be comfortable participating in outwardly radical action like protests and marches, they can participate in activities like letter writing to legislators and voters, investing their money in ways that align with their values, and organizing political action groups to create a supportive community.

While we cannot wish away climate change and its effects, we can shift our focus to creating a community that will bring about change. Here in Vermont, almost a quarter of the population is older than 60 — the fourth largest percentage of this age group in America. To mobilize the greatest number of climate change fighters, we can no longer consider ourselves divided. My great aunt is right: it’s not up to them. There is no “them.” The hope is with us. All of us.