As an outdoor clothing company, Patagonia has long fought to protect wild places, wild rivers and wild animals. But we do not exist apart from wild nature.
Our way of living, governing and doing business is overheating the planet and laying waste to the fresh water, clean air and fertile topsoil that everyone needs to survive. One million species could die off by the end of this century. Unless we make some big changes, we might be toast, too.
Facing extinction can be overwhelming. We struggle to make the necessary changes. But, as our founder Yvon Chouinard says, the cure for depression is action.
Today’s generation of climate activists prove it: They’re demanding bold, urgent action and energising a movement. We stand with them.
We must acknowledge who is most at risk. Many who have done the least to contribute to the climate crisis will suffer its effects most. We stand with them, too.
All of us alive today share a common challenge—this alone can give us hope. It’s not too late. Everyone can do something. Everyone will benefit.
These activists come from the United States, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Australia. Their stories represent what it’s like to grow up in a time of climate crisis.
Youth activists are striking for the future of our planet. Join them on September 20.
There’s something undeniably cute about kids protesting. They paint their signs—and faces—in primary colours, add some glitter. They smile and laugh as they huddle for selfies. Yet if they seem playful, they’re also serious. The millions of young people who’ve taken to the streets in the last year know that their generation has been dealt a losing hand, and that the grown-ups are dropping the ball.
I ink an uppercase Y on the sign-up sheet in the box next to my scribbled name. The letter stands for the word “yes.” Yes, I’m willing to get arrested. Yes, I’m in a dimly lit bar in Studio City, California. Yes, I’m here for a nonviolent climate-activist training session with Extinction Rebellion Los Angeles.
Thirty years ago this month, I published my first book, The End of Nature, which was also the first book for a general audience about what we then called the greenhouse effect. And my main worry was about … nature.
