Climate Change and Who to Blame?

We do need to make effort to be as green as possible. We should recycle our cardboard, plastic, and aluminum. We should use paper and reusable bags instead of plastic. We should limit our use of straws or trade them out for paper ones. We should avoid mass consumption of unnecessary items. However, at the end of the day, this crisis is not our fault. Why does it seem as though all of the pressure is put on little people to make a change? Sometimes we have no choice in the matter. We use what is available to us because they're the only options we have.

Day in and day out conservative politicians fight against Green Energy. They call bills like the Green New Deal too expensive. It would have been infinitely less expensive if we tackled this issue sooner. But for years those in power have called it a hoax. They knew it wasn't a hoax. To them, it was more important to protect profits than to protect humanity. We are now seeing the effects of this greed in climate disasters around the world. Here in the United States of America, we've been experiencing record-level wildfires in California. In Texas, ice storms are becoming more prominent, and they don't have the infrastructure to protect their citizens from the damages. In the midwest, farmland is becoming flooded and crops are dying. Hurricanes on the East Coast are becoming stronger and more damaging.

Solutions need to be put in place by those in power. Our small changes are not going to affect a thing. No matter how good they are. It's difficult to avoid using cars, especially in rural areas. People need to get around somehow. You could argue that there is an electric option, but it's out of reach for the working class when the starting price of a Tesla is $35,000.

Tess Riley wrote a compelling article for The Guardian in 2017. She breaks down how "just 100 companies [are] responsible for 71% of global emissions" (Riley). These are the people who need to be held accountable. The 1% that benefits off of global climate destruction. These are the people who need to be making changes, even if that means taking a hit to their paychecks. Greed is the driving factor behind the climate crisis.

This is a global issue affecting the most margianilized communities around the world. However, there are things that the US Government can implement that can at least start to reverse some impacts. Starting with Solar Energy. There should be a national mandate to push communities toward solar energy until it's how the majority of power is generated in our country. There are already programs in place where solar can be placed on your home for free. Essentially the company will mine extra energy until the balance of installation and hardware is paid off. Not only does this help to save money on a person's electric bill, but after everything is paid you can generate revenue by selling the excess energy created from your solar panels.

Free Public Transportation, even better if it's sourced from green energy. Making public transportation free gives people the option to get from one place to another in droves. Instead of paying for gas to use their cars, more people will ride together creating less of a carbon footprint. This will also allow for disenfranchised people, such as the homeless, to get around cities and towns with ease. It can provide the opportunity to help those people get back on their feet, get a job, and be able to provide for themselves again.

Wind Energy is another great solution. Unfortunately, the movement has been hindered by NIMBY, or not in my backyard. Some people are more concerned about turbines being an eyesore than they are about creating renewable energy solutions. The government has the ability to override these opinions but they choose not to. The greater good of the country, and the world, is more important than aesthetics. In my hometown of Falmouth, Massachusetts we spent millions of dollars to erect turbines, only for the townspeople to vote to take them down. This caused additional millions of dollars in taxpayer money to go towards their removal. A waste of time and resources. These actions come from those of privilege who care more about their comfort, than the comfort of others.

Planting Trees and Wood Alternatives. We know that trees and plant life are a driving factor in removing carbon from the atmosphere. Forests are being cut down in droves for their natural resources. Wood is needed to build things, but we can offer other more sustainable solutions. One recent invention is 3d printed homes, using clay to create a foundation and walls. This method is also more durable than your average wooden home. There is also a movement of people creating Earth Ship homes. These homes are created using recycled materials from junkyards in conjunction with clay and sustainable material. Not to mention, they allow for creative expression and unique architecture. In addition to finding other solutions to home building, we need to be planting more trees. The plain yards in modern America are boring. Huge, flat areas, with no substance. Just grass and walkways. We should be moving forward by planting native trees and vegetation, aiding the natural ecosystem instead of taking away from it.

The government needs to support small farming communities instead of huge monopolies like Monsanto. For centuries these families have been the backbone of America. Now they struggle to make ends meet and more often than not, sell their property to large corporations because they cannot afford the upkeep. Investing in small farmers will benefit everyone. We also need to avoid using pesticides and other chemicals that seep into the natural ecosystem. It's killing animals and native vegetation. If you live in a rural community it is more beneficial to spend a little extra money to support your local economy and businesses. Buy your meat from Joe Smith down the road, he probably treats his animals a lot better than these big businesses. Buy your fruits and vegetables from Sally the next town over, I guarantee their organic quality tastes better than the chemically altered grocery store produce.

There is a lot we can do as consumers to reduce our carbon emissions and benefit the environment. But at the end of the day, the government needs to step in and do something. Those in power cannot continue getting away with destroying the planet. We, the little people, are the ones who suffer. Greed cannot win, for if it does, the human race as we know it will cease to exist in due time.

Riley, Tess. “Just 100 Companies Responsible for 71% of Global Emissions, Study Says.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 10 July 2017, www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2017/jul/10/100-fossil-fuel-companies-investors-responsible-71-global-emissions-cdp-study-climate-change.