I have come to the realization that the fossil fuel industry, as large as it is, does not benefit everybody. In fact, I am deeply concerned about the long-term effects that the fossil fuel industry will have on global climate change, effects that will certainly benefit nobody. While many in the fossil fuel industry criticize the idea of climate change as speculative, exaggerated, and unimportant, as a student studying chemical engineering I feel that it is my responsibility to look after the safety of others first, even if it goes against the corporation I would like to some day work for. I do not want to look back thirty years from now, having witnessed the adverse effects that climate change had on this world and think to myself, “Why did I not do something?” The purpose of this article is to inform you of the possible aforementioned effects of climate change and to ask of you to further investigate this phenomenon and to raise awareness of it, and to plead you to consider switching to clean energy for the long-term.

First and foremost, it is abundantly clear that the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is well above a safe level, and efforts must be made among every country, not just the United States, to lower this level. Specifically, measurements have shown the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to be at 404 parts per million (ppm), surpassing the accepted safe threshold of 350 ppm. This is a tall task, but strides can be made within the United States alone before attempts to lower the carbon dioxide level globally are made. Currently, campaigns such as the 350 campaign and the fossil free campaign exist, but are having little to no impact due to low awareness, participation, and publicity. For example, recently, the university I currently attend, the University of Pennsylvania, rejected a proposal from the Fossil Free Penn club asking the trustees of the university to divest the 3% of the more than $10 billion endowment that is usually invested into the fossil fuel industry, despite nearly 90% of the 33% student turnout agreeing that divestment from the fossil fuel industry would be beneficial from a previous referendum. Despite unwavering support and efforts in these campaigns, they have not always proven to be effective.

Secondly, the effects of climate change are already being seen. Arctic ice is melting, sea levels are rising, and heat waves are becoming longer and more intense. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states, “[t]he net damage costs of climate change are likely to be significant and to increase over time”. Global climate change is expected to continue, although its impact and effects depend highly upon the amount of emissions of heat-trapping gas. Temperatures will continue to rise, precipitation patterns will change, droughts and heat waves will lengthen and intensify, hurricanes will be stronger and more frequent, sea levels will rise 1-4 feet by 2100, and arctic ice will cease to exist. It is not necessary to explain or elaborate on the dangers and risks that these problems due to climate change pose on our global society.

Lastly, it is extremely likely that climate change is being caused by human activity. The IPCC has stated that there is greater than a 90% probability that human activity, especially the burning of fossil fuels and the emission of greenhouse gases (water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, which have a heat-trapping effect) into the atmosphere, have caused the warming of the planet over the last 50 years. A solution to this problem requires the cooperation of several government agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Energy, NASA, and others, as well as the citizens of the United States and around the world, to raise awareness to this issue, participate in initiatives designed to counter climate change, and research the positive effects that investing in clean energy can have on the world as a whole. This issue is one that must be addressed now so that its adverse effects can be drastically mitigated. I thank you in advance for your cooperation and support in this effort.