Samuel is only 10 years old, but when it comes to describing how climate change will impact our planet, he has a clear answer: water will rise so much that people living near the sea will be begging for help to survive. But why does it happen? "Because of the extreme pollution," he says.

While Daniel (7) loves contemplating the sun, he wonders whether it will still be here in 50 years. He is hoping it only changes slightly, and that sunsets and sunrises will still be beautiful and colorful and will keep delighting adults and children. He's already urging his parents to recycle at home. After all, it's his future that's at stake.

In a near future, flying cars will still be as polluting as cars nowadays, the sky will rarely look blue due to pollution, and humankind will completely forget the importance of nature - even the last of the trees will be removed. To top it off, droughts will be so bad in some places that ships will be stranded. And for that, Paloma (10) points out, we don't need to wait 50 years but only 15.

Emma (7) has been traveling through southeast Asia in recent months and has loved the experience. But it was so hot! She learned from her mom that global temperatures are increasing every year. Therefore it's not surprising how she imagines the planet in the future: the sun will almost burn out and people will be forced to leave Earth – in rockets, of course.

Life on another planet is exactly what Linus (12) imagines - more concretely, on Mars. In 50 years, the Earth will be immersed in such chaos that we will have to look for a better place. But even there, we will not have learned the lesson and we will leave another trail of consumption and destruction. Not much hope for our near future, right, Linus? "Well, we can still stop it!"

In place of nature, technology will dominate our daily lives, Yann (12) believes. But for him, this is not discouraging, since we will have the most advanced technologies and lots of flying objects. This is how our planet will look in 50 years: a futuristic cityscape filled with revolutionary machines.

Astrid (6) has a very abstract idea about Earth. It's a place where river flows, air flows and people are simultaneously affected by the same threat: a gigantic carbon "handprint." Astrid has heard about it at school: the bigger the "handprint," the worse the impact for us all.

Our young artists don't always want to give a clear interpretation for their pieces. In this case, Miguel (10) provides us with two main options: The robot represents destructive climate change. Here, our destiny is quite clear. On the other hand, it may just mean that artificial intelligence will get out of control and become more powerful than humans. In any case, it's our time to act!

At 7, Judith gets quite serious when talking about the future, and is convinced we might all be dead by 2067 - pets included. In half a century, almost no one will have survived planetary destruction: and aliens will get the chance to take over. Just in case, Judith already prefers to save precious resources. No more new sheets of paper for drawing unless she's first used the other side.

Billions of plastic straws end up as waste. The European Union wants to ban these and other single-use plastics, which end up in rubbish dumps or in our oceans. But for those who just can't stop sucking — like Marco Hort, who set a world record with 259 straws stuffed in his mouth — there are environmentally friendly alternatives.

Animals in the ocean often try to eat plastic straws. To protect the environment, you can now eat the straw yourself. The German startup Wisefood has developed an edible straw made out of the leftovers from Germany's apple juice production. Alternatively, you can also acquire a multiple-use straw made from metal, bamboo or glass.

There are no exact numbers of how many plastic forks, knives and spoons are used once and then dumped. But it's enough for the EU to want to say goodbye to them. If you need to eat on the run and can't use metal silverware, you might try edible versions. The Indian startup Bakey's offers forks made out of sorghum; the US company SpudWares, out of potato starch. Yummy!

Talking about eating your plastic alternatives: You might also like to try edible plates, since plastic plates will be on the way out under the EU's ban. The Polish company Biotrem has developed plates made from bran. In case you are already full from your meal, don't worry: The plates are organic and decompose after 30 days.

Besides banning the private use of disposable plastic products, the EU aims to encourage fast food chains, cafes and bars to curb the use of plastic cups. Half a trillion plastic cups are consumed every year — most of them being used for a single drink, then staying in the environment for eternity. Several companies now offer plant-based alternatives.

One of those companies is the Balinese startup Avani. It has developed a compostable bioplastic made from corn starch. Although, the cups look and feel like petroleum-based plastic cups, they are biodegradable. However, they decompose best in a commercial composting facility, and not in your backyard

The easiest way to replace plastic cups is by using reusable mugs. But we might not always have our personal coffee cups on hand while we are out on the streets. Berlin is among German cities testing out a pilot project allowing coffee aficionados to borrow a reusable bamboo mug for a small deposit, and return it at another cafe at a later point.

Another plastic product the EU would see gone are ear buds. When disposed of improperly, they end up in the ocean, where animals mistake them for food. There are plastic-free alternatives with the stem made from bamboo or paper. But hardcore environmentalists say it's best to stop using them altogether — you can use your towel to clean your ears.