On Friday, November 23, 2018 many of us rushed to the mall to score the best deals possible on gifts for others and treats for ourselves. While slashed prices had the attention of many Americans, an important report was published regarding the state of our planet. Congress requires The National Climate Change Assessment to be published every four years. The assessment was written by 13 federal agencies including NOAA, NASA and the EPA. The report analyzes the current state of the climate as well as what can potentially happen in the future. It is not surprising that the news within the report was not the most uplifting. For years we have been told to reduce, reuse and recycle; but now it has become evident that our planet requires great action, and soon.
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The last report was published in 2014, and many of the environmental predictions within that assessment have come true.
Whether it is in the news or first-hand, we have all seen the catastrophic effects of wildfires and floods recently. These major environmental events have disrupted communities, taken lives and have had a great impact across the globe. One major point of this year’s report focuses on how events such as these are connected to many results that we may not have originally seen. Transportation, electricity generation and what’s on our dinner plates can all be impacted by environmental catastrophes occurring across the country.
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We’ve all been in situations where we’ve tried to just ignore our problems and hope that they go away on their own, but how many of us has that actually worked for? It is time to make major changes to our world to preserve what we have left of our environment.
Newly elected congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has expressed this sentiment saying, “People are going to die if we don’t start addressing climate change ASAP… It’s not enough to think it’s ‘important.’ We must make it urgent.” Her statement is extremely relevant to the publication of the National Climate Change Assessment. We have recently seen too many lives lost as a result of natural disasters that have been aggravated by the changing climate. If we continue in our current trend, the report explains how we will be losing many more lives as well as billions of dollars in damages. We can expect more extreme rainstorms and flooding, rising temperatures, heat waves, drying land, wildfires, loss of crops, polluted water supplies and ocean acidification. We are out of time and can no longer ignore what we have done to the Earth.
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With this report, the obvious question is “What can we do?” I’m happy you asked.
Seeing officials like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez coming into power is an important start. Electing those who can speak up on a large platform and create change from the top is extremely important. Additionally, education and awareness are key. By learning more about our current state we can better educate those around us and create passion for change. While our current environmental status is far from stellar, it is important to focus on improving and moving forward, not dwelling on the damage that has occurred in the past. We were given a beautiful planet and it is our job to preserve it.