Young environmental activists are fighting climate “doomism” by educating their peers on how to be a part of the climate solution.

Young environmental activists are fighting climate “doomism” by educating their peers on how to be a part of the climate solution. YPulse’s sustainability research shows 71% of Gen Z and 75% of Millennials say it’s up to their generation to stop climate change from getting worse. On top of everything going on in the world (i.e. the war in Ukraine, an ongoing pandemic, etc.), a climate “doomism” narrative has naturally sprung up, and young people are fighting the notion that the world’s climate problems are too far gone to fix by teaching their peers about the steps they can take to collectively save the earth. Social media is (of course) one of the ways they’re getting their message out: Alaina Wood (@thegarbagequeen) and Caulin Donaldson (@trashCaulin) are popular TikTokers who dub themselves “eco-creators,” highlight positive climate news and sharing about the ways they’re becoming more sustainable by cleaning up trash in their local communities and opting for secondhand goods when they want to buy something new. Wood started her TikTok account to create videos debunking extreme climate doom claims, and she helped form a TikTok subculture of like-minded climate advocates known as #EcoTok (which has generated more than 300M views). Meanwhile, the Fridays for Future initiative is raising awareness for its fifth annual Global Climate Strike with a social media campaign featuring Gen Z teens explaining how it’s up to their generation to take action because “If we don’t care, who will?” (NYT, MediaPost)