What do we want to pass on to future generations?

This blog post will be a little different from my previous ones. It’s not about giving info, answers or tips, but rather about asking questions, it’s more about thinking of what is happening in the world and about abysmal differences that we can see, about the biggest challenges of the 21st Century.

It might seem that one crisis alternates with another. Financial crisis, coronavirus crisis, refugee crisis, climate change crisis, wars… People say that it’s normal, there have always been crises in history. Deniers of climate change are claiming that it's completely normal that our planet is warming because we see those patterns in history. Well, at viaGood, we believe in science and hard data that shows that our planet is warming up faster than ever before in history due to human activities. But who is to blame? What generation will solve this? Boomers, millennials, generation Z?

This blog post is called : What do we want to pass on to future generations? So, let's think about it. On a personal level but also as a society, as human kind. We see the threats of climate change, global pandemics, wars. We have so much information. In one of our latest videos, our communications partner Anthony says : “We live in the age where there is no problem flying to the moon, but at the same time our planet faces global disasters. We live in the age where there is no problem communicating to over half of the world but millions of people live in poverty without hope for a better future”. I think these sentences capture our imbalanced world.

In the last few weeks we are witnessing a war conflict in Europe. First since the Second World War. It’s a humanitarian catastrophe and another uncertainty in our lives. With new crises comes economical, social and environmental tension. Are we prepared to endure lives with less comfort?

The IPCC’s predictions of the climate crisis should be enough of a wake up call for countries to switch to renewable energy for good - like warnings of total species extinction being between 18 & 29% beyond 2040. Obviously war in Ukraine is changing energy geopolitics in a profound way and can galvanize support for accelerating the EU’s European Green Deal. Decarbonization offers a pathway to energy and environment security.

Vulnerable poorer communities all around the world are facing consequences of climate change right now. In some parts of the world it's a dismal daily reality now. Flood, storms, unprecedented weather, droughts. There is a stark divide between who has caused climate change and who is suffering its effects. There is also the issue of racism. People of color across the Global South are those who will be most affected by the climate crisis, even though their carbon footprints are generally very low. So it’s not about the distant future. It is reality now. Even in the richest countries such as the United States people in poor communities are affected more by covid pandemic, by climate change, by air pollution.

Our future is uncertain. Will it be heaven on the Earth or hell ? I think we have it in our hands. We need to keep on track with combatting the climate crisis. Young generations are now asking themselves whether to have or not to have children. Our planet is overpopulated on one hand but children are our future on the other. Sometimes we don't know what is right and what is wrong to live a sustainable life. Is it good to use an electric car? Is the power clean ? What about batteries? Is it more sustainable to be vegan or to eat just local produce? With so many issues - world and our lives become a big questionnaire !

viaGood has a bold claim - Start saving the world with the viaGood app. Yes it is bold, but at viaGood we believe in a better future by following science, by making little changes, by donating to the less fortunate ones, by educating ourselves and sharing. We will try to save our world and cultivate it. We believe in collaboration, partnership and mutual respect. World doesn't need perfect people in every aspect.