ItB次元官网网址檚 the end of the world as you know it, but do you feel fine? With all the smoke thatB次元官网网址檚 been in the air recently, the answer is likely a choked-out B次元官网网址渘o.B次元官网网址� 

The fire at the Sooke Potholes may be under control now, but for a few days it was genuinely worrying. I live in Langford, and the idea of imminent evacuation seemed all too possible. The Old Man Lake fire didnB次元官网网址檛 cause widespread evacuations, but it could have. As of this writing, there are 344 fires burning across the province, the majority of which are still out of control.

This is unnatural, horrific and incredibly frightening. Climate change is affecting all of us, especially the younger generations. WeB次元官网网址檙e growing up in a world thatB次元官网网址檚 burning before our eyes. The heat is only going to get worse with each passing year, with less snow in the winter and less rainfall in the summer.

We are already beginning to see some countries on the verge of becoming uninhabitable as climate change-related heat levels extract brutal and unforgiving tolls.

Apocalyptic? Yes. Avoidable? Probably - but it wonB次元官网网址檛 be easy. 

ItB次元官网网址檚 getting more difficult by the day to deny the urgency of climate change, let alone the very fact of its existence. There is not a single person my age that I know who would not wholeheartedly agree with that. 

Every generation has struggles that define them, and this will be ours, without question. We are not the first generation to face this threat B次元官网网址� but we need to be the first to solve it.

Complicating this, however, is a sense of hopelessness that permeates the conversation around climate change. The attitude up until now has been one of severe and committed procrastination.

But at some point, the bill is going to come due, and that waiter is getting pretty damn close. And the fact of the matter is, we didnB次元官网网址檛 bring our wallet. 

Kids know this. We know that we have been utterly failed by a succession of decision-makers who spent decades downplaying this danger, undermining efforts to fix this mess, and continuing to pollute and disfigure the Earth with abandon. 

But it is our turn now. ItB次元官网网址檚 our future at stake, and itB次元官网网址檚 up to us to shape it as we see fit. 

ItB次元官网网址檚 not going to be easy. Even now, with a provincial election on B.C.B次元官网网址檚 doorstep, a main political party is vowing to erase all mention of climate change from the public-school curriculum if theyB次元官网网址檙e elected. So far, climate change is an afterthought in public discussion.

This cannot be the future. Our survival literally depends on it. 

Here on Vancouver Island, we are facing severe impacts from climate change. The Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium estimates a 2.5C degree increase in average annual temperature by 2050 in B.C. Beyond basic negative health impacts to the average person, temperature rise profoundly impacts vital Vancouver Island agriculture sectors, such as farming and dairy production.

Critical drought and water shortage. Increased flooding events. Soil erosion and a projected sea-level rise of 80cm by the year 2100.

And of course B次元官网网址� wildfires. Lots and lots of wildfires.

That might leave you feeling, if possible, even more apathetic about the whole ordeal. But we are not bystanders. Young people are change-makers B次元官网网址� and weB次元官网网址檝e got a lot that needs to change. ItB次元官网网址檚 time to make our voices heard by any means possible. 

At the ballot box, vote for the candidate who is outspoken about climate change, who understands that time is of the essence, and who is committed to facing this threat. If youB次元官网网址檙e too young to vote, you can find the best candidate and volunteer on their campaign to help get them elected. Encourage the older people in your life to vote for them. You can also advocate directly to your MLA or MP B次元官网网址� write an email or ask for a meeting B次元官网网址� and demand that they give this issue the attention it deserves. 

You can organize protests against projects or companies that are doing harm in your community. You can boycott businesses that engage in unethical treatment towards people and their environment, and work to force them to change their ways. You can volunteer at beach cleanups. You can take the time to educate others.

Want something easy? Of course you do. Adopting a plant-based diet is one of the best things you can do for the environment, as it produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions, requires less water, energy, and land, and it protects endangered species. 

ItB次元官网网址檚 past time for young people to take control and fix this mess. ItB次元官网网址檚 up to us. 

Gabriel Mackintosh is a high-school student in West Shore.