The battle against climate change and what we as individuals can do

On September 8th, Morocco was struck by a devastating earthquake, taking almost 3,000 lives. Over the last 12 months, the U.S. has experienced 18 climate disasters, costing a total of $175.2 billion and killing 474 people. In 2022, the Pakistan floods killed almost 2,000 people, and injured almost thirteen hundred people. August of 2023 saw the record hottest summer. Why is all of this happening? Because of changes in the climate, or, climate change.

Climate change is the explanation for the shift in the climate, temperature, and weather patterns of the earth. The people most affected by climate change are those who live in areas that are vulnerable to coastal storms and flooding, as well as children and people with disabilities. To battle climate change, we have been relying more on renewable energies, energy made from natural resources that is reproduced faster than it is used, like sunlight and wind. And less on fossil fuels rarer energies, like coal, oil, and gas, that take millions of years to form and release more carbon dioxide emissions. Renewable energies typically generate less carbon emissions.

Two common climate-change fighting plans include climate mitigation and climate adaptation. Climate mitigation is about fighting climate change by reducing emission levels and fighting the blows that climate change throws at us. Climate adaptation is admitting that climate change is inevitable and adapting to these changes.

The Inflation Reduction Act, signed in August of 2022 by the president of the United States, was a promise by the US to support the movements towards adopting clean energy. Our goal to reduce climate change is to reach net zero emissions by bringing down greenhouse emissions to zero by 2050. This means that we need to make sure that no more carbon dioxide is produced and added to the atmosphere than is removed. But currently, according to the Secretary General of the United Nations, we are “very off track,” to meet our net zero goal.

Our efforts are great, but we aren’t moving fast enough. Mia Mottley, the Prime Minister of Barbados said at the SDG conference in New York City that “if a dog is chasing you and you’re not running fast enough, the dog will still get you.”

We can make the change to renewable energy smoother and faster by making countries promise not to water down or delay the implementation of their 2030 and 2050 goals. Country leaders need to increase technological advances and invest in subsidies against climate change. We need to introduce carbon taxes in countries with advanced economies. Most countries with these economies, like the U.S., China, and the U.K., previously relied on fossil fuels and should pay back resources in return for their earlier actions.

All of these global actions are important, but the battle against climate change starts within the home. By reducing our use of electricity and being mindful of plastic use, as well as walking or biking to school, we can put our share into taking care of our planet. Although climate change seems inevitable, it’s important to slow it down as much as we can. We need to brainstorm more long-term solutions to remove and reduce carbon emissions in the atmosphere. It is our moral responsibility to pass down a clean earth to future generations.

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Citations

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NASA. “Responding to Climate Change.” Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet, NASA, 2019, climate.nasa.gov/solutions/adaptation-mitigation/. Accessed 23 Sept. 2023.

NCEI. “Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters | National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).” Www.ncei.noaa.gov, 2022, www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/billions/. Accessed 23 Sept. 2023.

O’Shea, Claire. “NASA Announces Summer 2023 Hottest on Record.” NASA, 14 Sept. 2023, www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-announces-summer-2023-hottest-on-record. Accessed 24 Sept. 2023.

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Turrentine, Jeff. “What Are the Solutions to Climate Change?” NRDC, 13 Dec. 2022, www.nrdc.org/stories/what-are-solutions-climate-change. Accessed 23 Sept. 2023.

Union of Concerned Scientists. “Climate Solutions.” Union of Concerned Scientists, 2016, www.ucsusa.org/climate/solutions. Accessed 23 Sept. 2023.

United Nations. “For a Livable Climate: Net-Zero Commitments Must Be Backed by Credible Action.” United Nations, 2022, www.un.org/en/climatechange/net-zero-coalition. Accessed 23 Sept. 2023.

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US EPA, OAR. “Climate Change and Human Health: Who’s Most at Risk?” Www.epa.gov, 20 Mar. 2022, www.epa.gov/climateimpacts/climate-change-and-human-health-whos-most-risk. Accessed 23 Sept. 2023.

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