Sooan Kim
Gill, MA
2024, Senior, Creative Writing

The students rolled their dice to determine how much money they received, $500, $100, $50, $25, in order of the number they rolled.

“That’s not fair! How come we start with different amounts of money?”

In the same order, they were assigned their residence area.

“How come I live by the factory and landfill but they don’t?” said Peter.

“Why do I have to live by the marsh but they live in Royal Hills?” said Amy.

Peter drew a chance card that said, “If you do not have an air filter, you must pay $20 for healthcare costs that are caused by a nearby landfill. If you cannot afford it, you must go to the hospital.”

“How come all the natural disasters target me?” yelled Peter.

“I know but this is exactly what reality is like,” I said to them.

As the last player rolled his dice, it was evident who the winner was. The residents near the landfill and factories faced countless health issues hence the hospital fees that made them result in a debt. The residents near the marsh also encountered irreparable damage caused by climate change-induced floods and tsunamis. Meanwhile, those in wealthy neighborhoods such as “Royal Hills” barely faced the consequences of climate change that they primarily caused.

In my experience, most of the environmental curriculum for young students emphasizes climate change’s impacts on nature and ecosystems but never mentions its influence on people and societies. Students are not exposed to ongoing issues regarding climate refugees, food insecurity, and capitalistic manipulation of climate change. When students learn that sea levels are rising and greenhouse gas emissions are increasing, how are they supposed to respond? They are bombarded with the detrimental effects of climate change, only fostering anxiety and hopelessness. In a world where their own parents don’t seem to care about the planet, how are the youth supposed to be motivated to convince government officials? It wasn’t just the physical world that seemed to be wearing but the very fabric of hope could lead us to a more promising future.

The priority in recovering the hope is empathy. Nevertheless, the more time I spent in my boarding school filled with privileged adolescents, the more apathy and disbelief I came across every day. Some would say, “I’m going to die in like 40 years, why should I care?” while others would claim, “Climate change is a scam. It’s so cold in New Hampshire, what do you mean there’s global warming?” Three hundred thousand deaths every year from natural disasters, displacement, food shortages, and newly-emerged diseases seemed insufficient to convince them of the severity.

In the midst of this hopelessness, I found a source of inspiration: children. If only the next generation could avoid exposure to the pessimistic coverage of climate change from adults and media, they would feel less discouraged. I realized that the next generation would be the ones to face the full brunt of climate change, but they also had the power to make changes. In the novel Pachinko, Min Jin Lee states, “History has failed us, but no matter.” It is not too late, and people should recognize that. While preventing climate depression is a daunting challenge, it can be countered with proactive and positive efforts. The first step would be to revise the education to empower the children, not to disengage them.

I have a dream that one day the United States, the most powerful nation in the world, will realize and change its ways. That the United States will have environmental organizations that are not leveraged by the government and citizens who are infuriated by the corruption they live with.

I have a dream that in this society, there will be a wave. A wave that will wake people up. A wave that will enable people to suppress their monetary desires and recognize how they make the world gray. A wave that will prevent us from repeating the same mistakes made in history.

On that day, they will realize that what they see is only a glimpse of the world’s true depth. Maybe that day, the chance cards of the Climate Justice Monopoly won’t be such bad news to Peter and Amy.

Work Cited

“Global climate change causing 315,000 deaths every year.” AirClim Air Pollution & Climate Secretariat. https://www.airclim.org/acidnews/global-climate-change-causing-315000-deaths-every-year#:~:text=Climate%20change%20is%20currently%20causing,Global%20Humanitarian%20Forum%20(GHF).

Lee, Min Jin, Pachinko. New York, Grand Central Publishing, 2017.

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