The rising issue of climate change is an issue that not only students, but everyone should be attentive of. As students, our purpose is not only to learn but to provide and contribute to society for future generations. Climate change may not seem like an issue to our current generation, but our children or their children could live on an Earth which we’ve destroyed. Studies have shown that weather patterns have increased regarding climate change. So, the possibility of future generations living in constant fear of natural disasters which we failed to prevent should be an alarming signal.
NASA’s climate change website also recorded an increase in the average concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by 2.8 parts per million, a 1.9°F increase in global temperature, and a decrease of 12.8% per decade of arctic ice minimum. It’s also estimated that the Earth’s lower atmospheric temperature is expected to increase by over 7°F by the end of this century. As students, we will be part of a major driving force in tomorrow’s future, and thus, we should be informed, and inform others regarding the drastic incremental changes of climate change over the years. Technology travels faster compared to previous generations, and it might have be reasonable if the attention surrounding climate change couldn’t be emphasized in its past state as technology might not have been advanced enough. However, in today’s age with how fast technology is advancing, the current generation should focus on the environment in a combined effort to reduce the effects of climate change, and if possible, stop it completely through either a breakthrough in science or a new form of technology. If all else fails, we could at least pave the way for future generations.
Regarding the question of how we as students can help with the rising issue of climate change, we can use Tesla as an example considering what they stated on their website, “To change the way we power the world—with clean energy, at an enormous scale.” Tesla vehicles use electricity as fuel rather than traditional fuel, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions and thus, could decrease the increased rate in temperature as recorded by NASA. We are the driving force of future generations and should focus on creating and advancing technology while moving away from fossil fuels, chemicals, and other energies which impact our environment. Instead we can create alternative fuel sources such as Tesla’s energy, which uses solar power as electricity rather than traditional fossil fuels and a battery to store that power.
Whether it’s students of architecture, programming, or engineering, we could all utilize our studies to change the way we power the world. Architects could design buildings with the best efficiency for solar panels in mind. Programmers would then create the software while engineers would create the hardware. Regardless of whichever field you are majoring in, it’s possible to find a way to contribute to climate change, either directly or indirectly. Climate change is a global effort, and as such we should all work together to reduce our global footprint and create a better environment for future generations.
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https://www.tesla.com/tesla_theme/assets/img/solar/panels/section-hero.jpg?20180104
