The Environment Needs Us... Are we Going to Answer?

You're surrounded by bare rock and little trees, the wind blows your hair in every direction. You're on the top of a mountain. You look out at the rolling hills and beautiful landscape. You soak in so many shades of green. The sun glistens off the distant water, clear enough to be a mirror.

This is my average weekend, sounds amazing right? Nothing will ever change my love for nature and it's incomprehensible beauty. However, my understanding of how I could lose this amazing gift is starting to sink in.

I read in an ABC article that the Union of Concerned Scientists  says that 1,500 gigatons ( a unit of measurement for one billion tons) of carbon has been emitted since 1751. Over half of the carbon emitted has been emitted since 1988.

The numbers are concerning and it raises the question of what are we going to do about it? Are we going to sit around as we watch each other destroy our beautiful planet or are we going to be responsible and take care of the very thing that has been supporting our life since forever?

You may be wondering, what can one person do? How could I affect the planet? Honestly, if you were acting alone, you wouldn't make a dent, but that's the beautiful thing in this issue. People are starting to come together to take steps in the right direction, and you can join them on this march by doing your part.

Paper bags, metal straws, and biking to the store are actions that almost anyone can do. Limiting your household waste and carbon footprint is a big deal when it comes down to it. Next time you decide to just "pop down to the store for some ice cream" remember you're aiding in the warming of the earth every time you allow carbon to enter our atmosphere. The ABC article states that its estimated the Earth can only take another 100 - 150 gigatons of carbon before going past the point of no return.

In the article by ABC News, the author, Julia Jacobo makes the point that when enough people move in this direction, sooner or later important political figures will start to notice and help in the fight for our planet.

Jacobo also argues that knowing where our money is going is vital if we want to bring upon this change. She states that a mere 100 worldwide companies are responsible for 71% of greenhouse emissions worldwide since 1988. These include well known businesses like Shell, Coal India, and many other companies involved in the oil and coal industries. She also continues to talk about how certain banks, such as JPMorgan Chase, have spent billions of dollars in the fossil fuel industry.

Supporting banks or other companies similar won't help the planet in any matter. Knowing who you are spending your money on can help a great deal. If you support green companies devoted to bettering the planet, we can achieve this goal that much faster.

The planet is in dire need of us to take action and responsibility to help turn around the current path we're headed down, so it's time we do just that. Every person can make a difference if we put in the effort. What better cause is there to support?




Jacobo, Julia. "What You Can Do to Help Prevent Climate Change, According to
     Experts." Abc News, 28 Sept. 2019, abcnews.go.com/US/
     prevent-climate-change-experts/story?id=65721423.