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Children’s Art Answers the Question: What Will Earth Look Like in 30 Years?

2 minute read
Updated: | Originally published:

“We humans need to do better.” That’s the sentiment Nahzeer Sandets, 12, shared in response to the question above. His drawing illustrates his bleak outlook on earth’s future, and he’s not alone—the environment, the fate of animals, and the perils to our planet consume the thoughts and imaginations of the next generation.

TIME for Kids, the weekly classroom edition produced by TIME editors, asked young students to draw their view of the planet 30 years from now. Their art, a sampling of which is shown below, depicts a full spectrum of childlike outrage, fear and optimism. And while their anxiety arcs through the art in the form of angry suns and barren land, they also pour their passion onto the page. And that passion gives us hope—in the future, the artists will be the people in charge. —Andrea Delbanco, editor-in-chief of TIME for Kids

Special thanks to the American International School in Hong Kong and to ProjectArt for help sourcing some of artwork seen here. ProjectArt partners with public libraries to provide free after-school art classes to youth in historically underserved neighborhoods in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Chicago, San Francisco, Detroit, New Orleans and Pittsburgh. Find out how you can support arts education for kids at ProjectArt.org.

 

Mira W., age 10, Los Angeles
William L., age 14, Sydney
Sarah A., age 17, Paris
Zolatkha B., age 9, Cape Town
Dylan Lee, Age 8, ProjectArt student, Queens, N.Y.
Fionn C., age 6, Newry, Ireland
Kellie K., age 8, ProjectArt student, Brooklyn
Alexandra A., age 9, ProjectArt student, Miami
Nahzeer S., age 12, ProjectArt student, Chicago
Aanya C., age 6, Hong Kong
Pelé P., age 10, Maplewood, N.J.
Ella S., age 8, Charlotte, N.C.
Zoë R.L., age 12, Brooklyn
Miu B., age 8, Japan
Hayden B., age 8, Summit, N.J.

 

Rosa G., age 8, Morgantown, W. Va.

The original version of this story misattributed an artwork to Rieyan Zoha, age 9. It is by Dylan Lee, age 8.

 


This is one article in a series on the state of the planet’s response to climate change. Read the rest of the stories and sign up for One.Five, TIME’s climate change newsletter.

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Write to TIME for Kids at tfkeditors@time.com