If it only takes one generation to make a change, then my bet is on Gen Z. Including those born between 1995 and 2009, those belonging to the Generation Z cohort have mighty worthy traits. It’s no wonder, when you consider their formative experiences include global warming, global economic downturn, Arab Spring, mobile devices, WikiLeaks and terrorism. Mostly children and teens, the earliest Gen Zedders are becoming voters in their early 20s.
Their collective aspiration, one that is more globally inspired, is for security and stability. What a refreshingly far cry from the self-interested aspirations of previous generations, the kind that include home ownership (Maturists), job security (Baby Boomers), work-life balance (Gen X), and freedom and flexibility (Gen Y). Sophisticated, educated, and connected, the influence of Gen Zedders is beyond their years. They’ve only lived in the 21st Century, and according to McCrindle Research, “They are the early adopters, the brand influencers, the social media drivers, the pop-culture leaders.”
Add Vision Critical’s assessment of Gen Zedders being “go-getters, activists, and dream big” and what do you get? You get global agents of change who are “probs” to be highly effective. A whopping 60 per cent of Gen Zedders want to make the world a better place, like Malala Yousafzai, born in 1997, or a small group of eight-to-19-year olds across America who are behind a climate change class action against their own country. They claim that their federal government’s inaction on climate change represents an intergenerational injustice, and violates their constitutional rights to “life, liberty, and property.”
Say what? Yes, a bunch of children, tweens, and teens are going after their own federal government, their president, and numerous executive agencies because the public trust to look after the common good was not upheld. Climate change is not only “a clear and present danger” to the youth today, but is expected to have deleterious effects on their future generations as well. Our Children’s Trust, a non-profit organization, filed the lawsuit on behalf of the 21 youthful plaintiffs back in November 2015. Almost a year later, in November 2016, U.S. District Court Judge Ann Aiken upheld an earlier ruling to not have the case dismissed—a huge victory in and of itself—after hearing evidence from the defendants as to the extent of their role in carbon pollution. That story again: the kids will have their day in court, probably later in 2017.
In her ruling, Judge Aiken wrote: “This action is of a different order than the typical environmental case. It alleges that defendants’ actions and inactions—whether or not they violate any specific statutory duty—have so profoundly damaged our home planet that they threaten plaintiffs’ fundamental constitutional rights to life and liberty.” She even went on to say, “Federal courts too often have been cautious and overly deferential in the arena of environmental law, and the world has suffered for it.” Aiken’s decision was made during President Obama’s term, a president who named climate change a priority. In contrast, after only one hour of Trump swearing in as president, the White House website page on climate change was taken down. However, in his inaugural speech President Trump promised no American would be forgotten. I wonder if he meant to include Gen Zedders and future generations in that promise. Counting on Gen Zedders to keep us accountable for upholding the public trust—now that’s in our best interest.
