One year, you’re raising your hand to go to the bathroom. The next, you have the future of life on earth in your hands. This is the progression of the lives of our generation, and it’s important that we aren’t conditioned to feel smaller than we actually are--that is, the largest voting block in 2016. Through the power of the ballot, we have in our grasp the right to choose who will lead America and the free world through the global challenges we face, and toward opportunity. If we are speaking in terms of the single greatest issue facing humanity right now, although it might not be sexy or provocative or stirring as celebrity gossip or whether Batman could potentially beat Superman, I think we would have to be talking about climate change and the preservation of our environment.

On the flip side--we have an opportunity greater than any generation before us to develop green technologies and create a sustainable world. It doesn’t have to be partisan. It doesn’t have to be political. It is about rationally thinking through a threat, and recognizing the might you the reader hold with your sacrosanct vote to address it. If you would, it would mean a great deal if you would hear me out on this--I will keep it brief, I promise.

Here are three reasons why you/me/we should vote for the climate in 2016.

Reason number one: Delaying the inevitable will only make the inevitable worse. Climate change is hurting us right now. Declining supply of water and negative health repercussions of extreme heat in the southwest, or heat waves challenging agriculture in the northeast are examples of the fact that climate change is right here at home, right now. The longer we delay to act, the worse (and more costly) it will become--and people are going to get hurt.

Reason number two: There are real differences between the candidates in this election cycle. There is a vast discrepancy between the candidates for President, and there are tangible variations in down-ballot races across the country when it comes to the quality (and in some case, existence) of plans to address climate change.

Reason number three: Other major issues are exacerbated by climate change. Do you care about poverty? The poor are among the most vulnerable to the negative ramifications of climate change. Or how about the economy? Climate change has deleterious repercussions for economic growth. Do you appreciate national security or want an end to war? Climate change makes resources more scarce and therefore has the potential to fuel violent conflict. Climate change doesn’t exist in isolation; it extends the severity of each of the world’s major issues.

In conclusion, I want to reiterate how important it is that it fully resonates with you, the reader, how powerful and almost sacred your vote is. Your vote is just as valid and is worth just as much as your parents, professors, and all forms of authority figures. This isn’t just a technicality--it is a right guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States of America. It is a right that did not come easily and was not preserved with ease. It is a right, but it is also a privilege to live in a country where that right is recognized. Not everyone in the world has that, and we should not take it for granted.

Millennials; “Ball’s in our court,” as they say.