Can't Deny It
- by MARCUS TRINIDAD
- Mar 20, 2015
- 2 min read
Our actions have caused climate change, and it is now our responsibility to repair the damage
Our generation’s greatest challenge is not terrorism or nuclear war -- it is global climate change. Climate change is a silent killer quickly depleting our once thriving planet. Yet some people continue to ignore the darker reality that we are the ones destroying our home.
The lack of consensus about the legitimacy of climate change is unnerving. Only 41 percent of Americans believe climate change is manmade, according to the Pew Research Organization. While a group of scientists found that 97 percent of 15,000 abstracts found significant evidence that climate change is influenced by man. Because of the solid scientific evidence, it is indisputable that we must end the debate and focus on action. The time to act is now.
If we think preserving our current way of life is important for our future generations then we may be making a big mistake. Our way of life got us here. It will require a complete overhaul of our system and our values to save the planet.
Almost 200 other nations have started taking action, but it is not enough. Their contributions will mean nothing if the United States fails to act.
Americans have a larger responsibility for solving this crisis. The United States makes up less than 5% of the world’s population, but we account for almost 20% of all the world’s total primary energy consumption, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. This is not sustainable.
Our continuous drive to consume is the crux of the problem. We need to cut out the luxuries in our lives. Saving the planet is more than reducing, reusing, and recycling -- it means a new you. It starts with bigger changes.
The meat industry releases more greenhouse gas emissions than all modes of transportation combined, According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations. To save the planet we must eat less meat. This change will not be easy because eating meat is seen as “American.” But it all comes down to our priorities. We do not need meat, but we do need our planet. Deciding which we give up is our decision to make.
If we continue to prioritize our tradition and cultures -- actions that are destroying our world -- then we will continue to kick the can down the road. We can not wait for the next generation to solve it. Now is the time to pick up that can and throw it away. Now is the time to save the planet.
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