Climate change is a global issue. It is not possible to stop climate change, but it is possible to reduce the effects. I feel that climate change is speeding up because of increased carbon emissions in the last decade. The effect of climate change is enormous as seen in the 2020 Australian and American catastrophic bushfires or more recently, the 2021 Texas winter storm. Sea level is rising 3.3 mm per year according to NASA Global Climate Change, and since 1990 to 2020 we lost around 420 million hectares of forest (“Deforestation Has Slowed down but Still Remains a Concern, New UN Report Reveals”).
I believe even though we’ve lost numerous opportunities to slow down climate change, we as a world citizens are taking some great initiatives along with younger generations who are stepping up to protect their future world. For example, Greta Thunberg at the age of 15 started as an activist for climate protection. Currently Thunberg is one of the most recognized activists working with organizations like the United Nations to help build awareness and motivate more activists to protect our climate and bring policy change.
https://www.pexels.com/photo/earth-blue-banner-sign-3039036/
I applaud the Biden administration’s return to the Paris agreement and his goal for the United States going to 100% clean energy economy, net zero emission by 2050 (“Plan for Climate Change and Environmental Justice | Joe Biden”). But it will need support from all over the United States, no matter what political values people hold. I assume the biggest challenge to achieving President Biden’s target would be politics and a big lobbying group. Citizens need to start strong support for the “green new deal” if they want to transform their country for a better future.
References
- NASA Global Climate Change. “Sea Level | NASA Global Climate Change.” Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet, 2 Feb. 2021, climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/sea-level/. Accessed 25 Feb. 2021.
- “Plan for Climate Change and Environmental Justice | Joe Biden.” Joe Biden for President: Official Campaign Website, 29 Oct. 2020, joebiden.com/climate-plan/ Accessed 23 Feb. 2021.
- “How Bad Is Climate Change Now?” The New York Times, 2021, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/04/19/climate/climate-crash-course-1.html. Accessed 23 Feb. 2021.
- “Can We Slow or Even Reverse Global Warming? | NOAA Climate.gov.” Climate.gov, 2020, www.climate.gov/news-features/climate-qa/can-we-slow-or-even-reverse-global-warming#:~:text=Yes.,(%E2%80%9Cblack%20carbon%E2%80%9D).&text=Once%20this%20excess%20heat%20radiated,space%2C%20Earth’s%20temperature%20would%20stabilize.. Accessed 23 Feb. 2021.
- “Deforestation Has Slowed down but Still Remains a Concern, New UN Report Reveals.” UN News, 21 July 2020, news.un.org/en/story/2020/07/1068761#:~:text=The%20global%20total%20forest%20area,in%20Africa%20and%20South%20America. Accessed 25 Feb. 2021.
