In a time when industrialisation is everything, businesses have to start thinking for the environment outside their offices.

As cliché as it may sound, the fate of the world we live in lies in our hands. We can decide whether to let the “grown ups” deal with it. But we also have to be aware that many scientists predict the real problems caused by global warming are not going to materialise in their lifetimes but in ours – the youth. So, it is our responsibility to push for better environmental practices in order to curb the damage that has already been done.

If we do have the power to change the future, then how should we act in order to achieve this goal? I was at the Business for the Environment Global Summit 2008, held at Suntec International Convention and Exhibition Centre, on April 22. I took the opportunity to look up world leaders, such as Göran Persson, the ex-Prime Minister of Sweden, and two of this year’s “Champions of the Earth” winners, Dr. Balgis Osman-Elsha of Sudan and Dr. Atiq Rahman of Bangladesh, to find out about their views on how youths should be striving for better control of the environment.

Do you believe that youths should urge governmental bodies and companies to change policies to be more eco-friendly?
Persson:?@It’s partly their responsibility, but it’s also partly their parents’ responsibility. They (parents) have to realise that if they don’t succeed [in making a difference now], the youngsters will have a huge problem to handle in the future. The best thing for a young boy and girl today is to have a good education, because this is knowledge about how to solve all these problems. And then also to act environmentally friendly in your daily lives, for example, by creating awareness about this problem. Don’t waste, don’t destroy. Be careful because we only have one Earth.

Do you think that we’ve reached a stage where we should move forward from creating awareness to actually carrying out effective strategies?
Persson:?@That’s right. I’m extremely worried listening to those who say we are going to wait until 2010 for certain plans, [because] no, we do not have that time. We have to act now and put pressure on governments and companies and also the youths. Youngsters who want to go into NGOs and work to have an effect on changing policies have a lot to do. It is a dangerous situation today, you have to act and act now.

What would you like to tell the youth about what they can do for a greener future?
Dr. Osman-Elsha:?@I’m targeting this message at the youth of today, the youngest generation, because they are going to face the consequences of climate change and they should be equipped with knowledge and skills in order to create a change. And most importantly they should act now — there is very little time left.

What is the role of youths in addressing environmental issues today?
Dr. Rahman:?@The future depends on the youth, so they first have to understand the problem and find solutions that they can handle. For the larger issues, they can push it on to the right groups that can deal with such issues. For smaller issues that they can handle on their own, they should try to do so. Overall, they must form a larger group so that they can discuss among themselves and identify what they can do themselves.

Evidently the key message that was brought up by all three of these world-renowned environmental leaders is that time is running out. If there is any hope for a more secure future, it has to be put into practice now.