CLIMATE CHANGE ESSAY EXCERPTS
IMPACT ON HUMAN RIGHTS
Climate change is breaking Articles 3 and 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by destroying people’s security, food, water, housing, and health…all over the world. Amen Asfan, Albuquerque Institute of Math and Science, New Mexico.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) affirms rights to life, health, housing, and security of person. Climate change threatens all of these at once. The World Health Organization estimates that between 2030 and 2050, climate change will cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths each year from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and heat stress alone, with the greatest burdens in regions that contributed least to historical emissions. Aditya Yadav, Basis Peoria, Arizona.
IMPACT ON THE POOR AND UNBORN
The class of people most affected [by climate change] is the least able to advocate for itself, future generations. Katelyn Bolduc, Westfield High School, Indiana.
The question of whether climate change violated human rights won’t exist when the seas rise, the air gets thicker, and fires burn through the forests … The question will be simpler and far heavier. When the last children ask why we didn’t save their sky, what will we tell them? Diya Vijay, Marvin Ridge High School, North Carolina.
Climate change disproportionately harms vulnerable and marginalized individuals… Lydia Olivia-Marie Phelps, Frederick Douglas High School, Maryland.
The climate crisis amplifies…disproportionately harms people in vulnerable groups. Anaia Housen, Archer High School, Georgia.
Amnesty International states, “In the Democratic Republic of Congo, communities are forcibly evicted from their homes and farmland to make way for expanding industrial cobalt and copper mines. Children as young as seven are made to dig for ore in artisanal mines, and low wages and dangerous conditions are the norm.” These abuses highlight that even policies with positive environmental goals can cause severe harm if human rights protections are neglected. Daniel Pineda, Houston Academy for International Studies Early College High School, Texas.
INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY
By practicing energy conservation, we are supporting the global framework, such as the Paris Agreement, which aims for the necessary, deep, and rapid reduction in emissions needed to limit warming to 1.5°C. John Duncan, Mt. Vernon High School, Indiana.
When climate strategies lean too heavily on individual behavior, they risk what some economists and ethicists call moral offsetting: placing the moral and practical burden on individuals while leaving the systemic engines of harm—that is, fossil fuel extraction, industrial agriculture, and wasteful production—largely untouched… When citizens see officials urging them to change light bulbs while simultaneously approving new oil and gas projects, they often conclude that climate action is hypocritical or symbolic rather than serious. If leaders truly intend to defend human rights against ecological collapse, their strategies must pivot from blaming individuals to redesigning systems. Aditya Yadav, Basis Peoria, Arizona.
U.S. ROLE
One example of how government policies can undermine both climate action and human rights is the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement. This decision illustrates the consequences of prioritizing short-term economic interests over long-term environmental responsibility. Emily Turner, Ridgeview High School, Florida.
The United States, formerly one of the leaders of the efforts to end climate change, has completely switched sides. Trump has called climate change “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world. Maxwell Gross, Houston Academy of International Studies, Texas.
In 2025 President Trump is undoing work climate activists have been working towards for years. Crews Yoakum, Evangelical Christian School, Tennessee.
United States Energy Secretary Chris Wright emphasized the idea that Climate Change has been drastically exaggerated by nations around the world as a giant threat, and urged other countries to use fossil fuels, claiming they are more reliable and affordable. Alexandra Arnold, Memorial Senior High School, Texas.
AI DATA CENTERS
Data centers to fuel AI are flooding locals with hazardous gas and waste. Willow Olson, Oswego East High School, Illinois.
Many environmentalists propose halting the operation and construction of artificial intelligence data centers. This would be highly beneficial to our environment and help prevent further consequence of climate change…These data centers waste large amounts of drinking water to cool their equipment…These data centers not only consume, but they also emit dangerous levels of carbon… Anais Barrera, United High School, Texas.
AI data centers require…water and electricity…Not only are these centers practically stealing clean, filtered water…they also release a huge amount of greenhouse gas emissions. Evie Miller, Harrison School for the Arts, Florida.
SOLAR, WIND AND OTHER RENEWABLES
According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, a rapid shift toward solar, wind, and other renewables…could cut global emissions by up to 70 percent by 2050. Isaah Kandula, Parkway West High, Missouri.
Not only do the construction of solar panels and wind farms require vast upfront investments, but energy levels can fluctuate even after installation. Kaitlyn Poon, San Marino High School, California.
We must do more than just switch from coal plants to solar farms…the root cause isn’t an accident in technology; it’s a centuries-old pattern of taking land, exploiting people, and treating the planet as disposable… Aditya Mathur, Malipitas High School, California.
CARBON TAXES
While a carbon tax is theoretically sound, if it is implemented without effective ways to redistribute the revenue to low-income household, it functions as a regressive tax… P. Eileen Cagle, Augusta Preparatory Day School, Georgia.
Carbon taxation is inherently unfair: low-income households are likely to be the most negatively affected, despite contributing the least to global warming. Kaitlyn Poon, San Marino High School, California.
Research proves carbon pricing disproportionately hits lower-income households…a carbon tax raises the cost of heating, transportation, and other necessities. Poor families already spend a bigger share of their income on such basics… Vedant Margale, STEM School Highlands Ranch, Colorado.
CARBON OFFSETTING AND CAP AND TRADE
Carbon offsetting is one example of climate sophistry that Taylor Swift, among countless others, has accepted as truth. After facing heated criticism for private jet emissions during her 2022 tour, Taylor Swift’s team responded by asserting that she had purchased adequate carbon offsets to compensate for her footprint. Elaine Zou, The Harker School, California.
Carbon markets often allow wealthy nations and corporations to continue polluting by purchasing “offsets”… Angello Manzanares, Virtual Innovators Academy, New York.
Despite its potential, cap-and-trade programs have many flaws. For one, the price of allowances is highly volatile … Kaitlyn Poon, San Marino High School, California.
GREENWASHING
Greenwashing…is a strategy used by corporations to present unsustainable products or services as environmentally friendly. Finnian McVeigh, White Bear Lake Area Highschool, Minnesota.
“The Fossil fuel industry tries to shift the weight of climate change onto the consumers of society by blaming individuals for the industry’s greed, using tactics like greenwashing, the deceptive marketing of a company and its products as more ‘green’ or sustainable than actually are in actuality.” Chloe Taylor, Walter Payton College Preparatory School, Chicago.
GEOENGINEERING
Solar Radiation Management (SRM), specifically Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI)…involves spraying sulfate aerosols into the stratosphere to reflect sunlight and cool the planet…this proposal is potentially harmful and downright unethical. Kidus Menna, West Career and Technical Academy, Nevada.
ELECTRIC VEHICLES
Electric vehicles are powered using lithium-ion batteries. A key input to lithium-ion batteries is a metal called cobalt. However, 70% of the world’s cobalt is mined using child labor… Kian Bakri, East Kentwood High School, Michigan.
NUCLEAR ENERGY
Nuclear energy is a feasible and highly safe replacement for much fossil fuel usage. Kayla Elizabeth Boebel, Jackson County High School, Georgia.
Nuclear energy provides a scientifically viable, environmentally friendly and reliable alternative…Public concerns with nuclear energy usually stem from its association with nuclear weapons, waste production and possibility of meltdowns.” Shakthi Manickam, Peachtree Highschool, Georgia.
Simply put, renewable energy is inadequate to keep up with energy demand. One way to satisfy this energy demand is to turn to nuclear energy. Joshua Dauphin, Estancia Valley Classical Academy, New Mexico.
A possible economic change that could reduce fossil fuel’s energy emissions is the transition to primarily producing energy through nuclear processes…uranium produces minimal waste compared to fossil fuels. Traevor K. Myers, Huntington North High School, Indiana.
EDUCATION
Programs that improve climate knowledge help future generations respond. Science programs teach how heat affects disease, how storms form, and how emissions rise. Social studies programs teach how inequality shapes outcome. Informed communities respond faster and protect the weak. Marcus K. Seac, Alexander W. Dreyfoos of the Arts, Florida.
© Copyright 2012 The Kemper Human Rights Education Foundation. All rights reserved.