Dear Kyle,

As I write this, I contemplate what your future looks like. The natural beauty that I find myself surrounded by could be completely different for you. And only you could know that, although I suppose you are me, so I will know too. I will know what a forever changed world will look like. Do you remember your childhood innocence? That time when you didn’t have to worry about climate change. The time when you didn’t feel compelled to act. That time is forever gone.

It has been quite a few years since you’ve entered the workforce. I pray you haven’t found yourself climate fatigued. I pray you still find the energy to act, you still find the space for hope, and you still fight for a better future. You did at one point. I am taking action. I am doing all I can in an effort to ensure that you don’t have to remember the world as it once was. I fight so you will be able to go out and see the wildlife that you so adore. So you don’t have to tell your kids about the diverse species you grew up with, the ever changing seasons you experienced, and the bliss you found in the outdoors. I fight so they will be able to experience all that, not just hear about it.

I fight, but I do not know if it will be enough. I am only one person, and the world is growing so rapidly. I can only hope that we have come together and found unity in our struggle. Unity is the only way I can see out of this crisis. I hope the climate crisis has overcome divides and brought the world together. I hope this is your reality.

Tell your children that I only ask one thing of them. I ask that they are able to go outside and find the beauty wherever they can. Tell them this planet is a gift, and within it is a beauty incomparable to anything else. Tell them I apologize for the state of the world they inherited, but I want them to know I believe in them. They have to pick up where my generation has left off. I can only hope that we have made that job easy for them…

Sincerely,

Kyle Wonders

January 2021