The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, established to collect data and assess climate change, released a report warning of the permanent damage being done to the environment.
The report holds humans accountable for causing global temperatures to rise by around 1.1 degrees Celsius since the industrial revolution, mostly due to the burning of fossil fuels.
One of the biggest issues however, is the prediction that the global temperature will likely rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius in the next twenty years. The effects of these temperatures increasing are already being seen globally.
“Climate change is accelerating faster than previous predictions, due in part to what are called tipping points. One of them is defrosting the arctic regions which reveals more rock and absorbs more heat. Greenland’s glaciers in particular are melting at the rate of trillions of gallons per year.
“Second is that we are seeing major climate events now that will cost billions and kill many, such as fires in California and in Southern Europe. Parts of Siberia are even on fire now,” said Dr. Chris Van Aller, professor emeritus of political science.
These climate events are not only affecting the areas they are taking place in though. For example, the melting of the glaciers is leading to a rise in sea level, something that will eventually affect the entire planet, especially if temperatures rise beyond the 1.5 degree Celsius mark.
“At this point, scientists are certain we will see a rise in temperature of at least two degrees Celsius no matter what we do. The damage is already done. The effort is to keep it at two degrees and stabilize there as the new normal. Continuing business as usual will push us way past two degrees. Some of the issues that the general population doesn’t consider is exactly how much infrastructure we have at sea level that will begin to be flooded too frequently to maintain,” said Dr. Scott Werts, a geology professor.
If maintaining infrastructure at sea level becomes impossible to do, then a potential next step will be an expensive relocation, which will probably be paid for mostly by taxpayers, Werts said.
“We have a lot of infrastructure at sea level. Naval bases, roadways, power plants, communication and energy lines, all of which are partially or totally funded by taxes. Can you imagine the cost of relocating an entire naval base? In addition, our space centers are near sea level too. I can’t even wrap my head around how much it would cost to relocate that,” Werts said.
Despite the urgency of these issues and their costs, climate change is still one of the most fought about issues between the nation’s political parties. While there is no guarantee the U.S. government, or the governments of the world, are going to pass effective environmental policy, there are still actions everyday people can take to help.
“I would say the biggest thing that people can do is use what you are talented in to make a difference. If you are an extrovert and don’t mind striking up conversations, there are organizations that have tabling events to try and change people’s habits, get information to policymakers, and strike up some sort of action… If you are an educator, it is easy to weave these kinds of issues into the curriculum… If these attitudes are applied to all industries, we can actually make a huge dent,” Werts said.
Some Winthrop students say that more pressure should be put on politicians and large corporations to do their part in the fight against climate change.
Sophomore musical theatre major Paul Smith said that he believes there should be more policies encouraging sustainable energy practices put in place and that education on the issue is crucial.
“I believe that the government needs to enact more policies in favor of renewable energy, organic and sustainable farming, and incentives for people who have a smaller carbon footprint. We definitely need a stronger education when it comes to climate change and we need to punish big companies who are negligent of their massive amounts of pollution,” Smith said.
While the planet sustains irreversible damage, there is still time to prevent the planet from getting to the two degree Celsius mark.
