Future lives matter

Ran across an article on BBC that read "Do people yet to be born have climate change rights?" My immediate response to the question is an absolute yes. In fact I believe climate change is more of a concern for future generations than older generations, simply put because of this:

In my personal opinion future generations have always been affected by the doings of older generations, whether it be because of wars fought, plagues or pandemics spread, inflations or economic stability, governments elected, protests and marches, kind words or spread of love, whether sufferings or prosperity, all is handed down from one generation to another meaning that whatever we choose to do, or not do, today will affect the generation to come. Therefore this resonates directly to all of UN's 17 sustainable goals, starting with poverty and ending in partnerships for all goals, every single one of them benefits the survival and well being of humankind and what is humankind if not one generation to the next?

Not having children myself it has never ceased to amaze me when I come across people that e.g. will shrug climate change off with the lame argument that "I will be long dead before that happens" and then to find out that that very person has children and maybe even grandchildren as well. That very person should indeed have any and every interest of securing the well being of any of their future offsprings as a personal interest and not only concerning climate change. For all my adult life I have gladly paid taxes knowing that they are needed to build prosperous societies and I have carefully tried to vote for what I believe to have the best influence to build a well being for all, rich or poor, with sustainable interiors such as public health care, public schools, equality for all and so on. Again, it never ceases to amaze me coming across parents that to me do not think further than their own noses. Well being for all means well being for all your children and future children to come 

The article that sparked this blog is well worth the read, I urge you to click the top link and give it a read. It gives a very good insight on how young people today feel that they have a lesser voice compared to the older generation and how important it is for them to be given the chance to be more active participators in what is their own future. It's also very interesting to learn of the world's first ever future generations commissioner, Sophie Howe, positioned as one in Wales. I hope we will see many more to come in the very near future, not only in every country but in as many governments and companies as possible, including the UN (who have in fact said that they will be making such a position a reality within their organization) as every single sustainable goal certainly needs a spokesperson for future generations

While you're at it, please click also the 2nd link in this blog and find out everything you can about UN's 17 sustainable goals, they matter to us all.

One-pot citizens of the world

Everybody who knows me knows that I love to cook. In fact anybody who might have stumbled across this blog might know that I really enjoy cooking and baking for that matter. I pretty much like everything about the process from deciding what to cook, making a list and even shopping for the groceries (yes, a true story), the cooking itself is an act I enjoy to the fullest and then comes the best part - eating. Stuffing my face is one of my favorite hobbies (yes, another true story). I've always considered myself lucky to find such enjoyment in cooking, I happen to know a couple with children and having to cook a meal is pure torture and headache for both of them, neither one of them likes cooking, neither one of them is any good at it either. 

The fact of the matter is this: we all need to eat. Just as we need to sleep and breathe we need to eat and drink. Enjoying myself in the kitchen is not in all it's entirety luck, rather a privilege. What do I mean by that? Well, looking at UN's 17 sustainable development goals  it is easy to see how my passion described here above quickly becomes a privilege. To buy all the food I want for my recipes to cook in my pots and pans in my cosy kitchen I need money, therefore I do not suffer from poverty. Cooking every day keeps my stomach full so I do not suffer from hunger. Because I am able to buy good ingredients and cook meals right at home I am able to maintain good health and therefore my own well being. I have been fortunate enough to have an education that has enabled me to seek job opportunities that again enable me to earn for my passion. Because of gender equality, which certainly has changed a lot from my mother's generation to my own generation, my boyfriend also makes me wonderful meals to enjoy. Clean water straight from the fossetts in my kitchen are vital to my health and well being and also aids to my sanitation. Affordable and clean energy enables me to use my stove and turn the light on so I can better enjoy my activities. Decent work, economic growth, industry, innovation and infrastructure, reduced inequalities, sustainable cities and communities, responsible consumption and production, climate action, life below water, life on land, peace, justice and strong institutions along with partnerships for the goals all end up on my plate in my cosy little kitchen because I am privileged.

But, being privileged doesn't give me the right to turn a blind eye to the fact that I am. Being privileged means that you are obliged to use your good fortunes to make the world a better place for all, no matter how big or small. If you are reading this blog I will assume that you have some good fortune, the very least you are sitting in front of a screen somewhere reading these words. I urge you to find out as much as you can about the 17 sustainable development goals and then to take it even further, compare them to your own life and reflect on what you find. How can you make this world better?

In case you came here thinking there would be a recipe, I was inspired to write this when looking through the news at The New Yorker and caught myself reading this in the midst of it all.