In Iggy’s terminology, “first thing’s first, global warming is the realist.” If you are like me, you believe global warming is an actual thing, but you really have no idea what it means. No, this does not mean I am “obtuse,” as someone stated about my last article. It means that we simply do not have enough information about global warming because everyone is avoiding the issue.
The truth about global warming is that it is taking place all around us, and if we do not open our eyes to see what is going on, it could really hurt future generations. The world is using more energy and natural resources than ever before, which speeds up the process of heating up the earth.
To put it in layman’s terms, it would simply be people using more and more greenhouse gases and pumping them into the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases keep the Earth warm enough for us to live on it, so the more greenhouse gases we put into the environment, the hotter it is going to get. And do not forget the fact that we have a thick cloud of pollutants covering our atmosphere.
These factors can all help lead to extinction of species, increased natural disasters and even possible new diseases. So to sit back and say, “Who cares, it will not affect me?” is ignorant. It might be a slow change, but it is a change that could severely hurt the future of our world.
According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, the “local temperatures fluctuate naturally and over the past 50-years the average global temperature has increased at the fastest rate in recorded history.” Unless we curb the emissions that cause climate change, the average U.S. temperature could increase by 3 to 9 degrees by the end of the century. I do not know about any of you, but I think Texas temperatures are already hot enough. There is no need to tease it any further for all the future Texans.
If this does not open your eyes enough to start caring, let us talk about the risks it could have on health. We all know how the entire United States went into panic mode when Ebola hit. If climate change continues to happen at this rate, it could cause many diseases transmitted by food, water or insects to increase. As dramatic as we are today about diseases, imagine how people will react fifty years from now. The news stations would have a field day with a man contracting a disease that came from a ladybug. I may be joking about the disease ridden ladybug but the issue on hand is really not funny. It is something we need to start actively thinking about and even implementing changes in our daily lives.
Our generation really does not give enough credit to ourselves. We have all the tools to succeed and do something about the problem. We are more technologically advanced than any other generation and we out number the baby boomers two to one. Yet, if we ask a random person on the street about an issue, they cannot give a proper response. Now is the time to take action and understand what is going on around us in the world we inhabit and call home.
I tried a quick social experiment with my 4, 677 Twitter followers by asking them if they knew what global warming is and only 13 answered within an hour. Sadly, when I posted something about puppies, I got 60 responses in the same amount of time. No offence to the puppies but this is not acceptable and I guess we only have ourselves to blame. So let us wake up and actually make a difference that could help our children, grandchildren and everyone else that will be born in the next 100 years.
As you see, global warming is far more complex than what we hear politicians argue about. I encourage you to do what is best for our environment by making small changes such as recycling, not littering and lessening your carbon footprint by consuming less energy. And remember, leaving that light on could mean turning the light out for our future.