Climate Change: The Good and the Bad

When you think about climate change, where does your mind go? Do you think of the melting ice caps or perhaps greenhouse gases. No matter what you think of, it is most likely encompassed within climate change. This term is thrown around a lot, and sad to say, it has lost much of its impact. By this I mean, when we hear the word climate change, it does not spark the same emotion it used to. Where we once worried about our environment, modern-day living has brought about many more distractions, such as work, school, finances, the list goes on. These simple distractors seem like very big issues to us because humanity has become such that we often fail to recognize the future, living in the here and now instead. Don't get me wrong, it is healthy to be aware of the things that have to be done immediately, but it has not helped the environment that so many of us have forgotten all about the future outside of ourselves. With such short-minded, selfishness, no matter how necessary it may be, the environment has undoubtedly suffered.

Climate change has become one of the biggest topics discussed by the UNEP. With modern solutions like the Paris Agreement, it gives me hope that humanity is still trying to fix our mistakes. The Paris Agreement calls for international cooperation to collectively reduce each nation's contribution to climate change. Furthermore, such big aspirations do come with a price. As per the legal guidelines, the Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty. However, this has not stopped countries from fully agreeing to the cause to try and ensure a brighter future for younger generations. More specifically, 196 Parties at COP 21 in Pairs entered the treaty, pledging to do what they could to reduce the human impact on climate change.

Okay. Enough about the UN. What can you do to reduce your impact on climate change? I know what you're thinking: "How can I, a single person, make a difference in the rate of climate change?". Well, all it takes is one person who believes in creating a better, more sustainable world, for an impact to be made. (This is the exact purpose of Eduenviro, as it was created by a group of friends who all share the same desire to undo the environmental damages we as a species have caused over the centuries). So, it is not impossible to make a difference on your own. In fact, for this first idea, all you need is willpower and mindfulness. To reduce your impact on climate change, be mindful of when you use electricity. Simply put, just turn off the light when you aren't in the room. Also, take shorter showers, as using hot water, or large amounts of it, worsen the effect of climate change. Yes. Both these ideas are geared towards younger people, so what if you're an adult? Well, consider turning to solar. It is fast, renewable, and cost efficient. Also, consider weatherizing and reducing your waste output. It is not hard to take an active role in the environment, and with these small actions, you can make a big impact on the world as you know it now and in the future.

I have talked a lot about how people can save the environment. Needless to say, this is the brighter side of climate change. However, under all the good people have been doing to try and fix our mistakes, there is the deep, dense cloud of fossil fuels that undermines the efforts of so many of the leading minds. Some of the biggest contributing factors to climate change are refining companies. One such company is big oil. Ever heard of it? The oil business has been lucrative ever since it was discovered back in the 1800s. Since then, oil drilling has become a multibillion dollar sector of the economy. However, with such profits, along with a sense of immunity from the law (as fossil fuels are in high demand right bow), oil companies have gone unchecked by government and regulatory agencies.

As I leave you, I present this word to you: Fracking. If you haven't heard of it, it's okay. This will be the topic of our next post here on the Eduenviro outreach website.

Climate change is no joke, and as our world modernizes, it is becoming increasingly easier to forget about the world outside of ourselves. If such a trend continues to occur, who knows where our world will be 10 or 20 years from now. All I am saying is that climate change is a big consideration when it comes to the environment, and if we don't do anything, we could quickly see our world spiral out of control, laying waste to our population, as well as, wildlife populations all over the globe.