What’s the Deal with Climate Change?

With all of the earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, rising sea levels that have occurred in recent months, it’s pretty clear that there are some changes going on in our world. What could be the source of those changes? Climate change has been an ongoing issue within our world and it’s been a key discussion among scientists for the last 50 years. We’ve all heard the talks about climate change, but for some, determining whether it is being caused by humans or if is just part of the Earth’s natural processes has caused debates around the world. Jamie Friedman ‘19, Nick Roland ‘19, and guidance counselor Mrs. Smith offered their thoughts on the topic of climate change.

Nick Roland explained that while he did believe in climate change, he also felt very uneducated about the issue. When told that scientists have discovered a recent increase in the number and intensity of storms over the last few years, he said he wasn’t sure why it was happening, “for I don’t know enough about climate change to make a conclusion to that statement.” Nick strongly believes that global warming is real, and that “The Donald” should say something to people to inform them of the issue. When asked how he thinks people can help the issue, he suggested that “People can stop polluting the air with chemicals and other pollutants that come from factories and cars.”

Jamie Friedman expressed that she “Without a doubt believes in climate change and that humans are greatly contributing to it.” When asked to explain why the ice caps are melting, she shared that in short, it is due to global warming and this is “because the ozone is depleted so the sun is stronger and more intense. Therefore it is melting the ice fast.” When told that NASA reported that 97% of actively publishing climate scientists agree that climate-warming trends over the past century are extremely likely due to human activities, Jamie believed in this statement because she “trusts the statements of scientists, for she believes in science.” She strongly agrees that the President should address the issue because “global warming is causing health problems for the people and will continue to do so.” She also explained that “while the issue might not seem urgent, the effects of global warming have the potential to cause great harm among the people, and it is very frustrating to me that people don’t see it as an issue.” Some ways Jamie believes that the people can help with the issue is by “finding ways to reduce your carbon footprint, whether that be through buying local produce, reducing meat intake, or riding your bike more often instead of driving.”

Mrs. Smith offered an adult perspective by saying that she too believes in climate change and that humans are greatly contributing to global warming. When she was asked to explain why the ice caps are melting, she said that it’s “because of what we’ve done to the atmosphere, more specifically the warming which is causing the ice to melt.” When asked if she thinks the President should address the issue, she said that as the head of our country, “he’s the one who can help impact change, and it would be nice to see him address it.” She has seen the increase in low emission cars as a positive impact in helping with emissions, and thinks that “people need to think about the products we use and how they impact the environment.” Mrs. Smith hopes something changes in regards to the issue, for she “worries about our generation and what the world will look like then.”

In a poll taken among 10 upper school students asking them whether or not they think that humans are responsible for the climate warming at an unusually fast rate, 9 of out of the 10 students said humans are responsible while one student said they didn’t know. Regardless to the heated debate on Climate Change, we could all likely agree with the statement made by President of France Francois Hollande that “We have one mission: to protect and hand on the planet to the next generation.”