Climate Change
Madeline Buchman '20 Editor in Chief
The planet is dying and it is our fault. With natural disasters, climate strikes and only a new environmental laws, 2019 proved to be a turning point in the history of our planet. For as long as humans have inhabited the earth, we have polluted and increased CO2 emissions, according to the Natural Resource Defense Council, setting off a chain reaction of global warming and natural disasters. Members of Gen Z (people born between 1996-2010) have emerged as leaders of the global environmental advocacy movement. The most prominent is Swedish 17-year-old Greta Thunberg, founder of the international climate strike, Fridays for Future. 2019 was the year of realization, our planet’s condition and 2020 needs to be the year of actual change.
Currently, several countries such as New Zealand and the UK have enacted laws to reach net-zero Carbon Dioxide emissions by 2050, although fewer have determined exactly how they will meet that goal. If every country in the world meets this goal, it might be able to prevent a 2.5-10º Fahrenheit rise in average global temperature within the next century.
The United States has taken no action on the matter. President Trump recently withdrew from the Paris Climate Accords, a multi-national agreement signed by every country except for Syria (which is in civil war) and Nicaragua. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, the United States is responsible for 16% of the planet’s carbon emissions, the second biggest contributor (China is first with 29%). Great change lies within the federal government, but every citizen can contribute to the cause.
For starters, consider the amount of energy you use. On average, an American produces a whopping 21.8 tons of carbon emissions per year. There are many poor lifestyle choices that are not a necessity, creating this large number. For instance, the lack of use for public transportation, as well as the lack of its availability, leaves most people constantly driving cars that release much more carbon emissions than needed. One alternative, however, to public transportation is carpooling. On a similar note, one thing that hits closer to home, or in this case, Howard High School, is when students who drive to school leave their cars running for long periods of time in the morning and afternoon. Doing so makes us part of the problem. Additionally, anyone can attend the Fridays for Future strikes that often take place in Washington D.C. (more information at https://www.fridaysforfuture.org/join) in order to demand action from the government on climate change. Change starts with one person and there are so many opportunities to participate in 2020’s year of change.
Currently, several countries such as New Zealand and the UK have enacted laws to reach net-zero Carbon Dioxide emissions by 2050, although fewer have determined exactly how they will meet that goal. If every country in the world meets this goal, it might be able to prevent a 2.5-10º Fahrenheit rise in average global temperature within the next century.
The United States has taken no action on the matter. President Trump recently withdrew from the Paris Climate Accords, a multi-national agreement signed by every country except for Syria (which is in civil war) and Nicaragua. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, the United States is responsible for 16% of the planet’s carbon emissions, the second biggest contributor (China is first with 29%). Great change lies within the federal government, but every citizen can contribute to the cause.
For starters, consider the amount of energy you use. On average, an American produces a whopping 21.8 tons of carbon emissions per year. There are many poor lifestyle choices that are not a necessity, creating this large number. For instance, the lack of use for public transportation, as well as the lack of its availability, leaves most people constantly driving cars that release much more carbon emissions than needed. One alternative, however, to public transportation is carpooling. On a similar note, one thing that hits closer to home, or in this case, Howard High School, is when students who drive to school leave their cars running for long periods of time in the morning and afternoon. Doing so makes us part of the problem. Additionally, anyone can attend the Fridays for Future strikes that often take place in Washington D.C. (more information at https://www.fridaysforfuture.org/join) in order to demand action from the government on climate change. Change starts with one person and there are so many opportunities to participate in 2020’s year of change.