Hope is a curious concept. Will I make it to my lecture on time, and will the crossing turn green as I approach it? I hope so. While it should lie at an equilibrium where its gain or loss is determined by individual action, circumstance and a deteriorating environment consistently disrupts hope’s perfect balance.
It’s an expectation as a Glasgow university student to one day be walking through the West end and to find yourself in awe of what you see. The distinctive, sand-coloured tenements, some in better shape than others, an abundance of independent coffee shops and of course a Greggs in between them. It’s truly fascinating to see the grand and historic main building of my university, sit so proudly upon university avenue. It appears to dominate the scene, as consumerism runs rife on the streets around it. Society once valued its features and the environment in which it exists. Yet as the traffic lights turn green, which unfortunately brings me to a rather cold stop, an uninterrupted flurry of cars pass me by and the hum of that one electric car becomes drowned in a cloud of exhaust fumes.
Though next year I won’t be in this city, surrendering to my umbrella as it blows inside out for the 5th time during the stormy weather that worsens every year. Instead, I’ll be studying in Helsinki, hopefully encountering more snow than torrential rain. Although I will have to travel by plane, I can still minimise my carbon footprint by recycling, using public transport and shopping sustainably, whether this is in charity shop’s, such as the one who’s window I’m currently staring through, or by continuing my search on Vinted for the perfect going out top rather than buying one new. I know today’s lecture will be on climate change yet I seem to have already discussed the topic in my mind, but do others also consider their impact on the environment? While as a student my resources are undeniably limited, perhaps the best thing I can do is to talk about it. Advocate for climate action, advocate for gender equality and advocate for institutional accountability.
I walk in awe of the beauty around me, though of course this is easily done when walking by Kelvingrove art gallery, knowing that many generations before me have seen this place change over the years. However, I wonder how many future ones will enjoy this too. As so many people confidently discuss their contributions to gender equality and their opinions on the women choosing to progress their career instead of to single-handedly repopulate the Earth, I can’t help but wonder if they have fully considered the real world they are creating for these hypothetical children? Maybe they need a lecture on the United Nations’s 17 sustainable development goals more than I do. Hope is an important thing. It’s something I would like to keep for the world, and so should you.
