Thoughts on Climate Change

By Emily Wasson on May 26, 2015

Thoughts on Climate Change: What is the Next Step?

https://climatechange.mit.edu

I recycle, always… guilty.

I turn off the water when I brush my teeth… guilty.

I unplug all electronic devices when not in use… once again, guilty.

Like most Americans, my carbon footprint is an astronomical number. Every day, I am wasting energy, I am polluting this Earth, and I am making this planet a worse place for my descendants than it was for me.

But how can you blame me? At what cost does convenience come these days? Apparently, it is a big cost, and I just have not seen it yet. Most people have not, and that is why we are so stubborn to change.

This past semester, I enrolled in a course entitled Environmental Issues. I thought I knew something about the environment; it turns out, I did not at all.

Did you know that humans are the biggest factor that has led to global warming? As a part of the course, we were asked to interview individuals that are global warming skeptics. I was surprised by the number of people that doubted these problems were true. But why are these people so doubtful? I partially think that the media is to blame. We turn on the TV and watch scientists and skeptics argue about this grand idea of global warming, yet over 90 percent of scientists are firm supporters of human based global climate change. It is some strange form of climate censorship that we have as a society chosen to accept, because we are afraid of the unknown and making changes that will ultimately impact the luxurious lifestyles we lead.

The reality of it is that, yes, I am making an impact on this world; yet, it is a small one. Sometimes I try to wrap my head around the idea that I am making a difference, because my contribution seems so small. I think that this is why so many people struggle with the concept of climate change. At this point in my life, I do not feel the effects from my choices, and I believe that many of the people that claim to be skeptics have not endured the effects either. How can we make changes to our society when we place the blame on so many things other than ourselves?

After taking this course, I started feeling guilty for my actions. I could not leave a room without turning off a light. I started asking for “no bags” when I went to the grocery store, because I thought somewhere down the road a seal or a gull would be strangled by the plastic webbing if I used one. On the hottest of nights, I slept with a fan instead of air conditioning, because I believed that I was making an impact.

I never thought that a single class could change the way I see my impact on the environment. Now though, I am a firm believer in environmental education and advocacy initiatives. However, if college has taught me one thing, it is that education cannot fix a society.

Change comes with practice of what we learn, and practice doesn’t always make perfect, but it can make us better. If we can all just get a little bit better at thinking about those that will come after us and the people that are currently feeling the effects of climate change, we can make a big difference.

There is no time left to start being better tomorrow. Do your Earth a favor, and start now.

https://climatechange.mit.edu/sites/default/files/images/climate-change.jpg

http://climate.nasa.gov/

http://www.skepticalscience.com/

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