I am sure that every person in English 138 is well aware of climate change. I am also willing to bet that I am not the only person writing a blog on climate change in this class. Discussing the topic of climate change is very interesting to me because it is like trying to solve a puzzle that is missing a few pieces and an instruction manual.
In today’s world, it would be difficult to find an educated person who does not believe in climate change. However, there are many varying opinions on how climate change is being brought about and whether humans are the main factor. Furthermore, climate change is a heavily politicized topic. As we can see with any other civic issue, when something is politicized, it becomes a personal issue for people on both sides of the argument. People who identify as more Republican or Conservative tend to believe that climate change is not due to human activity or is not a pressing issue. People who are Democrats or Liberals believe that climate change is a worldwide crisis and that much more attention should be brought to the problem than there is currently.
I truly believe that members of Congress and other world leaders are aware of climate change and the severity of the issue. However, it has become increasingly clear that we do not have the technology or resources to fix the problem within the foreseeable future. Windmills, solar panels, and hydroelectric facilities seem to be the cleanest energy options available. However, scientists have not been able to figure out how to harness enough electricity from these sources to meet the world’s immense energy consumption.
A legislator’s primary goal is to be reelected. In order to do this, they should reach the promises given to their constituents. No lawmaker sees it fit to promise clean power within a term. Therefore, the world is making very little progress in working toward a cleaner future. Right now, the best course of action is to allocate resources for research and testing of clean energy or new types of energy. There should also be a significant amount of recourses being put towards making new habitats or helping destroyed habitats recover. For example, grasslands are being killed for urbanization all around the world. This is because deforestation is heavily frowned upon and regulated (as it should be). However, grasslands are responsible for most of the Earth’s carbon stocks.
Image Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/02/20/climate/climate-change-polls.html