No recorded time in history has ever seen the dramatic change in climate that the 21st century has. From extreme weather conditions to decrease in biodiversity in ecosystems across the globe, climate change impacts are seen and felt every day.
Damage from annual wildfires have grown in the past decades. Data from the National Interagency Fire Center shows that in 1983 a million acres of land were destroyed by wildfire in the United States, compared to 7.4 million in 2000 and 10.1 million in 2015. Not only is the damage greater, but the size of an average wildfire has also exponentially grown. In the ‘80s and ‘90s, the average wildfire consumed about 60 acres. Strikingly, that number has increased to about 130 acres. This means that the fires are burning hotter, with drier fuel. According to a study at Columbia University, temperatures in forests on the western side of the country have increased averagely by 2.5 degrees since the year 1970. These intensified fires are affecting communities, ecosystems, and the overall health of Earth.
Furthermore, the Pacific Ocean has risen two inches in the past five years, with no signs of this trend reversing or slowing. This means there is more opportunity for flooding into coastal neighborhoods and cities. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change claims that although climate change does not directly cause flooding, it “has detectably influenced” some of flooding’s contributors such as snowmelt, making floods more extreme. Just like forest fires, these floods negatively affect communities and ecosystems.
These statistics may seem unrelated to human cause, but in fact, it is quite the opposite. There is more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere currently than what should naturally occur; this is because of the non-renewable energies that power most of the planet. Non-renewable energies include coal, petroleum, and natural gas, and they are extracted from the Earth. When they are burned for energy, they emit greenhouse gases such as Methane and Carbon Dioxide. When so many of these greenhouse gas emissions are released into the atmosphere, the earth simply cannot absorb them all, resulting in warmer surface temperatures. Since the Industrial Revolution, there has been an unmistakable correlation between warming temperatures and emissions.
In some countries, governments are trying to take accountability for their emissions. Recently, the United States reentered the Paris Agreement, which is a global framework started in 2015 to reduce countries’ greenhouse gas emissions. The 196 parties in this deal are working towards keeping global temperatures down so they increase no more than 2 degrees Celsius in the next century. Also, Washington State enacted the 100% clean energy bill in 2020, which makes Washington the fourth state to do so. With this bill in place, it demands that Washington address creating cleaner, carbon-free electricity, so that in 2030, the state is carbon-neutral, and by 2045, Washington will have completely carbon-free electricity supply.
Corporations also affect the world’s emissions in very big way. In fact, just 100 companies are causing 71% of the world's emissions. A report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found that companies like Shell and Chevron have been some of the highest emitters of greenhouse gases since 1988. According to Pedro Faria, technical director for the CDP environmental non-profit, “A relatively small set of fossil fuel producers may hold the key to systemic change on carbon emissions.” If action is done to hold these companies accountable for their environmental effects, then the earth is a step closer to becoming more sustainable.
Corporations and governments are not the only ones who can make a difference. There are every day, changes, habits, and products to live a more sustainable life. Riding a bike instead of driving a car, even once a week, can reduce someone’s carbon footprint. Limiting plastic waste, not only keeps oceans cleaner, but also keeps waste out of the thousands of landfills in the country. The average person in America creates 6 pounds of trash a day, 4.4 of which will likely go into landfills. Landfills are the third leading cause for methane production in the United States at 15.1%. The methane is created when garbage decomposes. However, there are ways to reduce this waste, and the consequent greenhouse gases that follow. Sustainable companies and products are everywhere. Package Free Shop is a sustainable company based in New York that makes sustainable replacements to everyday products more accessible to consumers. According to their mission statement on their website, they believe “It’s our responsibility to offer our customers the most sustainable products available on the market.” They have a wide variety of sustainable substitutes, from pet products to household items.
Additionally, there are some lesser-known sustainable habits. According to reporter Hayley Tsukayama for The Washington Post, “The Berners-Lee estimates that a typical year of incoming email adds 300 pounds of emissions to a person's carbon footprint, or the equivalent of ‘driving 200 miles in an average car.’” This is because the average spam email has a carbon emission of .2 grams. Deleting emails can mitigate the impact of this technology’s carbon footprint.
Students at Cascade High School in the Sustainability Club are very passionate about the environment. Mrs. Ravits, advisor of the club since 2019, said, “But I want people to understand that we are all a part of multilevel systems and even seemingly small actions locally can make big differences globally, negative or positive. So let’s strive for positive change to ensure we and our future generations can continue to have access to basic things like energy, food, water, shelter, safety, education, healthcare, etc. We have to approach all of those with sustainability in mind, there’s no avoiding it.”
Senior Stella Johnson, President of the club, said, “Sustainability is important to me because there are so many things that I love in nature that if not taken care of properly, won’t be there for people to love in the future. The way to make sure that things like nature will be available in the future is through leading sustainable lives now.” Another member of the club, Chase Runions, added, “Sustainability is realizing that the practices we have now will not allow us to carry on indefinitely, and sustainability is working towards a societal relationship with nature that will last long into the future.”
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