Let me start off by saying that I like to stay fairly moderate and unbiased when it comes to talking about political issues. In my opinion, climate change is definitely one topic that should be bipartisan but unfortunately is not.
Recently, Donald Trump was asked about the current climate report that was put together by both US governmental agencies and other departments regarding potential impacts climate change will have on our country, both economically and environmentally.
He stated in the interview that he doesn't "believe" the impacts climate change will have on the world and that our country is the cleanest it has ever been.
Although it would be amazing if our country was the cleanest it has ever been, that is sadly not the case, and it won't be unless we make major changes.
I've had the opportunity to take a course at my university this semester solely focused on climate change, which has provided me with evidence to back up my previous thoughts about this issue. While most people won't understand temperature anomalies and climate modeling and how they relate to global warming, the main takeaway from the course is that climate change is already upon us, and it's coming quicker than we think.
Many people that don't believe in climate change don't understand that weather and climate are two different things. Just because it's cold outside during the fall doesn't mean global warming is gone, and just because one summer day happens to be 107 degrees in Colorado doesn't mean global warming is in full effect either. We really have to look at data over extended periods of time to see the impacts.
Because of Trump's ideas to pull us out of the Paris Agreement, which deals with climate change, and his obvious lack of urgency towards protecting our environment, we're in more danger than ever. Granted, this doesn't mean that tomorrow Miami is going to disappear from the United States, but the long-term effects will be huge on our earth.
Climate change can be hard to recognize because it's easy to define it as "just a forest fire" or a "small decrease in polar bears." It's the little things that add up. Australia, Ecuador, Malaysia, and, yes, the United States are the four countries that are prone to adding more species to the list of animals that are going to go extinct in the near future.
Hurricanes are becoming a lot more consistent. Monsoons in India and Africa are intensifying. Fires are becoming more prevalent from the lack of precipitation in desert climates. Our sea levels are projected to rise by at least half a meter by 2100. These things may not impact you and you may not believe them, but that definitely isn't going to stop them from occurring and changing the lives of millions.
We're already in the midst of a period of intense global climate change. We shouldn't be arguing over which countries are "cleaner" and which are "dirtier." Pretty much every country, but especially the more affluent ones, are producing greenhouse emissions, and let me tell you, climate change isn't going to pick and choose which countries to affect. Global warming is not a competition.
From the forest fires in California to the hurricanes on the East Coast to the reality that the overall temperature of Earth has increased by 1 degree Celsius, we have to start identifying these occurrences as what they really are: a change in our climate due to our carelessness towards our planet.
Unless we as humans make changes in how we treat our environment, our environment is going to continue to change the way we as humans live our lives.
Although it may take governmental power to combat the current climate change, we can try our hardest as everyday people to fix it. I'm sure the future generations would appreciate our consideration.
