If Democracy Dies, the Environment Dies With It.

Since high school, I have been reading the newspaper. Every time I read the Washington Post at 7:00 a.m. I notice the front cover which will show marches occurring all over the world and marchers demanding for needs their community or environment lacks.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like not being able to speak up for what you defend? Like me, I’m sure most of us wouldn’t like it.

That’s why we must practice democracy. It is our right and we must eliminate the gap and change things the way they are because at the end of the day something that doesn’t take into practice will have poor performance if lost. I have been thinking about how decisions of leaders worldwide shape the world with actions that can’t be reversed.

Last month, Brazil picked its polemic virtual president Jair Bolsonaro, a problematic leader who is a threat to democracy. Consider this— if Bolsonaro threatens the world by quitting the Paris Agreement — as he has previously said, it will be his first and last word. It is a decision that will affect us worldwide. It doesn’t matter if you live on the other side of the world, the Amazon rainforest is the “lung” from which the world breaths. Our future generations depend on the decisions Bolsonaro makes.

However, democracy has had an impact on sustainable development. France for example, this past month when it allowed its citizens to install “Mini-Gardens” along the streets of Paris to give the city better air quality and a unique style.

The world right now needs our leaders to work in a multilateral way. The upcoming G20, the most important world leaders meeting to discuss decisions that could affect the path of human trajectory. We must ask how much is related to sustainable development or to the preservation of our environment? Using our freedom of speech we must demand it.

We have leaders around the world lifting walls and closing borders. If we don’t stop global warming soon, there will be no glaciers left. So let’s focus on what really matters.

— Hector Mendoza

This post was created by an amazing GREEN ZINE volunteer contributor, and opinions expressed may not represent the views of Greenpeace. If you are interested in volunteering as a GREEN ZINE contributor, visit this link.