Climate change is one of the largest global issues in today's society, do you want to try save our home?
One of the biggest threats in today’s society is climate change. An important question to ask is, what’s more important to you, protecting our economy and growth or our shared home and planet? The fact this is even a debatable topic is worrying, with melting ice caps, mass deforestation, loss of biodiversity, raging wildfires and unpredictable extreme weather, including record high temperatures. And we are more concerned about our economy? We won’t have an economy if we don’t begin to take action.
The lack of urgency from our society is concerning. With 97% of scientists from all over agreeing that climate change is resulting from human activity, and before we know it we will have the consequences of extinction of life as we know it. If we as a society want to try reverse some of our actions impacting climate change, we need to act fast. We need to put the belief back into people’s minds that this is possible, although by all means it won’t be easy.
Is banning plastic straws enough?
Most businesses are trying to do their ‘bit’, with fast food chains such as McDonalds banning plastic straws for paper ones, supermarkets charging extra for a plastic bag. But is this really all we can do?
Society needs to be more educated on the reality of climate change and be unwrapped from the comfort of blanket that everything will be okay. Because soon our biggest concern won’t be having a soggy McDonald’s paper straw.
We are already having record high temperatures, and people are seeing this as an excuse to get the paddling pool and BBQ out rather than understanding what this actually means. This is highly concerning showing us a society have already made detrimental effects.
So, what do we do now?
Greta Thunberg a youth activist that inspired people all around the world, she was known for challenging world leaders to take immediate action for climate change mitigation. From just 15 years old she spent her Fridays striking in front of the Swedish parliament to demand action against climate change. With her aspirations spreading round the world, in less than 5 years millions joined ‘Fridays for Future’.
Unfortunately has this ambition in today’s generation disappeared? Most people in today’s society want to do their ‘bit’ but we have gone past the point of this being enough. The little bit we do to help is nothing compared to the reality of just 100 businesses being the source of more than 70% of their greenhouse gas emissions since 1988.
Everyone focusing on their own carbon footprint is not going to make a significant difference anymore, we as a society need to work together to make a difference before it’s too late. Personally, I think this needs to begin with fully educating people on the reality of climate change, without it just being a past sad thought. Climate change needs to be at the forefront of everyone’s minds everyday with decisions we make, we need to be constantly reminded of the consequences our actions have.
The world is a shared home not just ours
David Attenborough a national inspiration once said “Cherish the natural world, because your part of it and you depend on it’. I think as humans sometimes we forget our actions aren’t just impacting us, as it stands there are currently 882 extinct species with a further 77 species extinct in the wild. Did you know by 2050 eighty-seven animal’s we all know and love are likely to be extinct including the Amur Leopard, Sumatran Elephant and a Sunda Tiger?
Is this really what we as a society want to be responsible for? Future generations will learn about how our world was slowly destroyed and we just let it happen. We are destroying something that we are dependent on to live, it provides our food, water and air. And we as a society are very naive to believe we are not going to see a significant change in our lifetime.
Climate change action is no longer useful to just focus on ourselves. Protests and documentaries clearly aren’t showing the urgency our planet is in. We are all aware of the solutions from renewable energy sources to new farming techniques, to the growing popularity of a vegan diet. It is now our responsibility to work together and make a difference or the consequences will be irreversible.
What we do over the next 50 years will really determine the fate of all life on our planet.
We are running out of time, but there is still hope.
What will you do to take on your responsibility?