(This article is an attempt to make you think about your climate impact, not provide any groundbreaking ideas on how to prevent climate catastrophes).
It’s no secret that climate change poses an imminent threat to life as we know it. [1] After all, we learn about in the news, in classroom settings, when we look at the polluted sky in Utah Valley, and over casual dinner conversations with our roommates. It’s normal to talk about now, despite one’s political affiliation. But if you’re anything like me, then you’re probably wondering - shouldn’t we be freaking out more than we already are? After all, the oceans are warming, forest fires are drastically becoming more common, and we’re using up available drinking water like there’s no tomorrow. So then if it’s such a big threat, should I not be doing more?
Before diving into that, to put it into perspective for you, the current warming of the planet is happening at a rate not seen in the past 10,000 years. While yes, changes in global temperature are normal (in the past 800,000 years there have been eight ice ages and warm periods), what we are seeing today is anything but typical. The patterns we currently observe haven’t been seen in the past millennia; the amount of carbon dioxide contained in atmospheric gasses is higher than it has ever been [1]. And because of that, we are seeing shrinking ice sheets, rising sea levels, and an increased frequency of natural disasters. While one may not understand the immediate impact of those consequences, the international order (at least seemingly) understands just how big of a threat they pose.
The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) finds that reducing greenhouse gas emissions requires significant changes on the part of individual nations. Examples of doing so include lowering fossil fuel usage, the deployment of low-emission energy sources, conserving energy, and switching to alternative energy carriers [2]. While this is easier said than done, applying pressure on high energy countries (particularly China, the US, India, Russia, and Japan) will hopefully begin to alleviate the damaging impacts of their climate policies. And with the current rate at which carbon emissions are being produced, I don’t think nations could go on much longer without actively applying corrective policies.
With that being said, Pew Research Center finds that “a majority of Americans support prioritizing the development of renewable energy sources” [3]. America is the second largest carbon emitter and thus, we have one of the largest responsibilities to combat the realities of climate change. According to the White House National Climate Task Force, we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions 50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030 and achieve a net-zero emission economy by 2050 [4]. Depending on the administration in charge, this certainly can become a reality and hopefully will.
I hope it’s evident up to this point just how big of a threat climate change poses. However, as BYU students living in Provo, UT, we likely won’t prevent climate catastrophes simply by choosing to use reusable grocery bags at the store or walking to campus instead of driving. In comparison to the climate emissions produced by large corporations and governments, our individual impact is almost negligible [5]. But I don’t think that means we ought to stop doing those small and simple things. Change comes little by little. Whether that be from a university deciding to up its “recycle game” or from a student choosing to take the bus to work instead of driving, collective efforts to combat climate change will not go completely unnoticed. So then my answers to the questions raised initially are that yes, we should do more, but no, we shouldn’t freak out. There is strength in numbers and there is power in creating a better culture about caring for the environment. It is my opinion that upward pressure from individuals, when combined together, can be the greatest cause for change.
