Having recently studied an environmental module at university and having just watched Jared Leto's new documentary series Beyond The Horizon, I feel completely obliged to speak about the matter of our environment.
No this isn't the normal sort of post I would do, but that by no means detract from what I want to say. Fashion, music, photography and film is extremely important, which is why it is normally my passion to write on it. However, it is also extremely important in conveying crisis to people all around the world. It allows emotions and situations to be portrayed to the public in a visual manner, that can often instil more poignancy and power than speaking alone.
Beyond The Horizon is a short documentary series directed by singer and actor Jared Leto. It tackles the concern for the future of humanity.
The world has undergone tremendous change in the last century, and although incredible leaps have been taken in science, medicine, technology and most other walks of life, tremendous steps have been taken in aiding the destruction of our planet. We have caused the extinction of hundreds of species, huge economic disparities, mechanised death, war, terrorism, pollution and poverty.
Although the state of our world has declined rapidly, there has been a great increase in human self awareness, and the knowledge we need to create change has grown and grown. We are currently at a crossroad of humanity, one way will cause the death of the planet earth and the other could help save it.
'However, there cannot be a social transformation in the absence of personal transformation.' Deepak Chopra
People of my generation have been left to suffer the stupidities and ignorant actions of the generations before us. The people in power today are not the ones who are going to change tomorrow. I strongly believe that there will come a point at which our generation will take control, when we are politicians, anthropologists, scientists, academics, even celebrities, this will be the point of positive change on a global scale. It is our generation that will be that transformation that we need. Political parties, organisations and global projects, with an interest in the environment, have never been so popular as they are today. The recent 2015 UK elections saw a huge proportion of young adults voting green.
The idea of being 'green' has become increasingly trendy amongst young adults today, which frankly is simply frustrating. From my own personal experience, I have found a lot of apparent 'environmentalist' know nothing of the practise they seem to preach. Many are idealist who believe the world can easily be saved, but know nothing about the social and economic implications of any of their unrealistic ideas. We need environmentalist to work alongside politicians and economist, not against them.
Yes, I do believe our environment can be saved, but I do not believe it is by those in control of it now. Our generation are the ones that have to make the change.
21 year old, Boyan Slat, is an inspiring example of this. He has started the initiative OCEAN CLEANUP which will commence in 2016. Under OCEAN CLEANUP a 60 mile long V shaped net will be placed permanently into our ocean to help clear up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Doing it the existing way (extraction by boat) would take thousands of years, this way, if successful, it will take 20.
'Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.' George Bernard Shaw
This post is not a plea to go vegan or an education on the existing problems we all already know. It is simply to express my own personal opinion on the matter and hope that just maybe it changes just one persons outlook. Whether you're interested in fashion, music, film or photography, you should all be aware of the changes that need to come in the century to come.
