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Climate Change Blog

The planet Earth is 4.54 billion years old. Modern humans have roamed this beautiful planet for only 200 thousand years and in that time we have changed our planet. Not all of our changes have been good. We have drastically changed the environment and in doing so drastically changed our climate. Every aspect of our lives has created this problem.  I don’t know about the rest of the population but, I would like to have children who can have a full life without having a planet ruined by us.

Climate change may be the biggest and scariest issue humans of today have. It is at the forefront of every politicians mind and of every citizens mind because we are on our “59th minute” (Suzuki, test tube). We as a people have been exponentially growing and feeding and changing which has negatively affected our climate. We as a species are in” quite a predicament”. Suzuki and many other scientists agree that even if we find “three new planets it would only provide ‘two extra minutes” to our overpopulation problem. How in the 59th minute can we move past this major problem?

For hundreds of years humans have used fossil fuels, and other non-renewable resources for energy, which gave them the necessities they needed. However, this requirement has had devastating cost to the environment. Maybe, the biggest problem with non-renewable resources are the greenhouse gases. Picture the world as a person, and greenhouse gases as a blanket. Any gases or heat coming off the Earth is trapped within the blanket. Not much of Earth’s greenhouse gases escape, and is what is left is trapped in the atmosphere thus raising the Earth’s natural temperature.  “Carbon dioxide is the main contributor to climate change, especially through the burning of fossil fuels”( David Suzuki Foundation). But, isn’t the atmosphere already filled with greenhouse gasses? Yes it is but the amount that we have added has “disrupted the atmospheric balance that keeps the climate stable” (DSF).

As a result of the increase in temperature, sea level rises. To some it may not seem alarming, but when studying the national geographic, you conclude that hurricanes are more vicious, floods are arising more frequent, and typhoons are vastly more dangerous. These natural disasters are not so much “natural” anymore when the human population creates such a difference in severity. Coastal regions seem to get the worst end of the stick when it comes to this dilemma, there are “660 people in Taholah, Washington, that is at growing risk from sea level rise”. Places like Taholah, are only a fraction of many that are affected by these conditions. Living so close to big bodies of water can be at times anything but a dream come true.

Thankfully, we have renewable energy sources. The main benefit is “renewable energy sources produce little to no global warming emissions” (Union of Concerned Scientists).  I prefer the less harmful and just as efficient renewable resources. What about you? Do you think that you could balance the people, the energy and the food of people while maintaining a sustainable environment? I have and by no means is it an easy task to accomplish. Between picking what is best for the people and for the environment it is hard to balance all of the aspects that create a sustainable environment.  This simulation really opened my eyes to the effects that every person has on the environment and that every person can make a difference to be more sustainable.

          To begin to understand the future, you must understand the present. Telltale signs are all around us that signify that if we humans do not start making lifestyle changes today or in the immediate future; inevitably we will suffer. There is no denying that the earth’s temperature is rising. This alone, if left unchecked will snowball into a situation that can no longer be controlled. The greenhouse gases stated before can be moderated and controlled even by small actions of riding a bike, taking the bus and even walking.

Convincing the human population to walk to work or school would be unrealistic. But for the most part, simply changing household light bulbs to LED light bulbs can go a long way. You don’t need to convince the entire world what you are doing is right, you just need to get on a level is understandable and agreed upon.

How are you going to use this information to your advantage?  Now understanding that every human has a role to play and every action of yours and of ours contributes to our climate change and to our sustainability. I ask the next decision you make that you think about the energy you use to make that decision like public transit instead of driving alone, buying organic food instead of genetically modified, using renewable energy to heat your home/office.

To conclude, I encourage you to re-think your everyday routine. Choose to live giving back the debt we owe to this planet. Make time in the day to turn off the lights when they’re not in use, take a walk when a car is not needed or even take transit. As the temporary inhabitants of this planet, choosing to preserve the environment and everything in it will always be the right choice and will only better the time we have here. Our time here is not forever and is merely just a home that if not treated right, we could be forced to be without a home sooner than expected.

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