Youth Reflections: Eshaan Jain, USA
By Eshaan Jain
In 1987 the Brundtland Report first published the concept of Sustainable Development, “development that meets the need of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. The report would go on to explain the facets that sustainable development encompassed like developing in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way to promote economic prosperity and social equity over the long term. Over the course of the next few decades, the report would be published by the World Commission on Environment and Development, as well as being adopted and elaborated upon by the UN SDGs and the Paris Agreement on climate change. To me, the term sustainable development revolves around much of the same principles as the UN SDGs and the plan outlined by the Brundtland Report, but I would like to emphasize the importance that sustainable development is, at its core, a future-oriented concept. The sustainable developments that we undergo today may not show dividends immediately, but over the long term, we will be much better prepared to not only face the challenges that climate change presents us but improve society as a whole. Of course, we must preserve economic prosperity, social equity, and culture, but we must not forgo the environment along the way. It can be easy to attribute the climate challenges of today to unchangeable actions taken in the past, but if we do not have this future-oriented attitude, in another 25 or 50 years we will look back to see that our past actions created the climate challenges of the future.
A global survey conducted by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication in 2020 found that nearly 1 in 4 people worldwide had never heard of climate change. The same survey also revealed that only 40% of respondents felt well-informed about climate change. Despite the information age that we live in, the biggest challenge when it comes to Climate Change is getting informed in an unbiased and scientifically sound way. While there is talk of climate change all around us on social media or news networks, due to a lack of formal climate education in our schools, there is a huge disparity in the level of understanding and consensus regarding causes, impacts, and solutions for climate change. You can’t begin to solve a problem unless there is shared understanding. Given the critical juncture that our planet currently is at with rapidly rising global temperatures and fast-declining ecosystems, I believe that all schools should create dedicated courses to educate students about their roles and responsibilities to deal with the climate crisis and live sustainably. The course should focus on both environmental science as well as environmental justice. In addition, it is also important to integrate climate education into a school’s core curriculum in all subjects as climate change is going to impact every aspect of our life. The easiest class to implement climate lessons into is of course science classes, for example, in Biology, students can learn about extinction threats posed by climate change on various species. In geosciences, students should learn about fossil fuels and their impact on global warming. In chemistry, there should be a dedicated lesson on plastics. In economics and social science, students can learn about climate change impacting the global supply of food and the negative externalities of environmental degradation. Arts and language have tremendous power to change minds and both fiction and non-fiction books should be introduced to create awareness about this issue and our role as students to deal with it.
Even if the problems of climate education are solved, students who are well-informed and passionate to do something, unfortunately, find that it is difficult for them to make a meaningful change due to their lack of decision-making power. While the youth will inherit the planet in the future and bear the brunt of climate change and ecological destruction, we are at the mercy of our parents’ and grandparents’ generations who currently control both the political and economic landscape and seem to be not in a hurry to deal with the crisis. Furthermore, even if the change is taking place, the pace at which it is being done is too slow. Despite these roadblocks, passionate young leaders have and should continue to push for change and demand action from governments and institutions around the world.
Personally, for the last few years, I have also been working on many Green initiatives within my township. For example, a few years ago my brother and I had participated in collecting pledges to pass a single-use plastic ban in our town. By coming together, our community was able to petition our township committee and ultimately make a positive impact on the environment. Since then I have participated in cleanups, research projects, and petitions. Although working in one township cannot resolve issues that must be addressed on a global scale, every action helps the cause and we can serve as an example to help other towns and cities follow suit. Since then I have also gone on to found AllForOceans, a student organization that works toward connecting passionate youth with a platform to express themselves. While it is impossible for just one person to resolve the issues of climate change if people around the world come together, we can make a tangible impact and this was the thought process behind AllForOceans. Although the organization has started pretty recently, we plan to expand to a few different high schools in New Jersey and beyond, allowing the work of students to have a wider reach.
Climate change is not a problem that can be solved overnight or with the participation of a few individuals, but by coming together as a global community we can truly make an impact on the future of our planet. After all, as the UN guidebook says, “the world does not need 1 perfect act of kindness rather 8 billion imperfect ones.”
Eshaan Jain is a rising Junior at the Pingry School in New Jersey, USA.
He has been part of Columbia University’s Center for Sustainable Development eco-ambassador program for a couple of years now, but his journey into sustainable living started in 5th grade when he first became aware of the menace of plastic pollution and realized that mindless production and consumption are unsustainable. Since then, he has been actively volunteering for his town’s Green Team and participating in drives to create awareness about carbon emissions and waste reduction, composting, native plants, clean up of local parks and rivers, and other green initiatives.
Determined to do something about the increasing plastic pollution clogging our oceans, Eshaan co-founded a student organization, AllForOceans, with his friend with the goal to engage the student community by connecting their passions for conservation with a platform to express themselves.
Beyond his environmental pursuits, Eshaan enjoys the realms of sports, literature, and music. He is part of my school’s golf team as a varsity athlete, a sport that he enjoys thoroughly even in a casual setting as it allows him to connect with nature while honing his skills on the course. In his free time, Eshaan enjoys reading various books in genres ranging from dystopian to non-fiction, as well as playing the saxophone.
Looking ahead, Eshaan aspires to make a career in the field of private equity with the goal to integrate Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles into the business landscape, striving for a more sustainable and socially responsible future.