Climate change is a reality and if you”re still thinking otherwise, it”s time to do some more research.
We are at the point in our scientific understanding of the world that the vast majority of scientists are 95 percent certain not only that climate change is happening, but also that humans are hugely responsible for its rate of acceleration.
While the arguments for and against the reality of global warming cause confusion, logical thinking alone can go a long way. In a brief summary, at the beginning of earth”s history its atmosphere consisted largely of carbon dioxide (CO2). Microorganisms and the oceans began absorbing the C02 and, as the microorganisms were buried with layers of sediment, heat and pressure turned the C02 rich stromatolites into fossil fuels. Now we”re pumping the fuels outs and burning them, releasing huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere again. Coupled with the rate at which humans are chopping down forests that so conveniently turn CO2 into oxygen, it makes sense that our atmosphere is rapidly changing. Since the Industrial Revolution, CO2 in the atmosphere has increased at a much faster rate than normal, from 280 parts-per notation (ppm) to 395 ppm, according to the federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. And as earth”s biosphere is so delicate as to make a kink in its natural cycle, (such as a change in temperature), begin a domino effect of substantial changes in the rest of its cycle, it”s understandable how significant the sudden mass release of C02 by our industrial civilizations could be.
Despite the logic and despite the increasing amount of supporting science though, 23 percent of Americans still deny that climate change is both happening and that it is a result of human activities, according to a Gallup poll.
It”s time for the public to start educating itself on the reality of our very near future. The people profiting off of the industries that are driving the dangerous effects of climate change are not going to be the ones to tell you it”s happening. The goal of businesses is to make as much short-term profit as possible; if someone in a company is not doing all they can to maximize short-term profits, she/he will be replaced by someone who will. It is simply business model nature to push against changes in what industries the world depends upon.
Unfortunately, the U.S. government is tied so closely to the massive corporations that are supposed to be the driving forces of our economy that many of the most adamant deniers of climate change also happen to be some of the most powerful politicians in our government.
It falls on the mass”s shoulders, then, to seek out the truth and to push change. It is in everyone”s best interest to begin working toward a society that is not reliant on fossil fuels for its livelihood after all. Thirty-five years is considered the long-term for most businesses, but relative to the 79-year life expectancy of Americans, 35 years is the short-term for us and our children. Most of us will be alive to see how different our world is after those 35 years.
As scientific information backing the effects global warming would have if we continue on our current course has become so pervasive and overwhelmingly conclusive, it is the right time to inform ourselves on the reality of how our actions are affecting our planet. It”s time to start having conversations about how we can adapt our lifestyles to preserve our”s and the planet”s future. It”s time for graduating high school students to start training in green energy fields (and for Lake County to start offering more scholarships and encouragement geared toward those disciplines of study). Those students will be in high demand by the time they graduate college, and it is one of the smartest career moves they can make.
It doesn”t take much digging to realize how massive a situation we have on our hands. News sources are publishing articles on the daily about the impacts of increases in ocean temperatures and droughts throughout the world, as well as the ways climate change conversations are turning into action in first-world countries around the world.
For those who are new to the climate change discussion, I would recommend the documentary “Home,” which is free to watch on YouTube and has some of the most beautiful shots of the planet I”ve ever seen. It”s jam packed with information and facts that have been adequately attributed through the documentary”s website at www.homethemovie.org. I strongly encourage people to watch it if they have the resources to, as it gracefully provides a history of how the earth reached the state it”s currently in and captures the scale of human intervention in the natural cycle of earth”s ecosystems.
At the very least, I encourage people to be thankful for every day they have to experience the beauty of the world they live in. In just a short time, the world could be a very different place than it is today, and we could be one of the last generations to have the opportunity to truly experience the beauty it contains right now. It”s a start, and beginning to think in those terms can start to change how we live within the world. Guilt, pessimism and apathy are draining and worthless ways to spend our precious time in the world; live within the world with care.
