We should be worried about our warmer winters

Since returning to Hawk Hill for the spring semester, it is likely that you’ve hardly had a chance to show off your new winter coat or beanie without feeling slightly overheated. Although this may seem preferable to the bitter winters of the past, our recent, unseasonal weather is simply a result of the abuse of this planet through the course of industrialization. This dangerously warm weather is nothing new to the generation of millennials, however, 16 of the 17 hottest years on record have taken place since the year 2000.

2016 was the hottest year on record for the third straight year, and if we continue at this rate of self-destruction it can only become exponentially worse. The United Nations unequivocally stated in 2014 that “Continued emission of greenhouse gases will cause further warming and long-lasting changes in all components of the climate system, increasing the likelihood of severe, pervasive, and irreversible impacts.” One of the most harmful mindsets and stigmas surrounding global warming is one that insists that it is far too late to save our planet. While it is true that we have caused significant, irreversible harm to our planet, it is also true that with a relentless public and a persistent political agenda, real change can certainly take place.

Unfortunately, our democracy has empowered ignorant politicians, specifically those of the GOP, who still somehow refuse to admit the reality of climate change and its direct correlation with human activity. Over the course of 2016, the House GOP majority voted twice to block the Defense Department from studying the national-security implications of climate change.

House Republican David McKinley,asked in 2014, “Why should Congress divert funds from the mission of our military and national security, to support a political ideology?” A Republican Congressman from Florida, David Jolly, recently stated that “It might take another 10 years for a new generation of Republicans to take a new approach to this.” Unfortunately for the Republican party, and mankind, 10 years will be far too late.

Our new president tweeted on Nov. 6, 2012 that “The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.” Egregious statements such as this put the existence of humanity at risk. In just the first week of his presidency, Trump ordered a media blackout from the Environmental Protection Agency. In response to this, the Badlands National Park Twitter page tweeted a slew of facts regarding climate change. After being retweeted thousands of times, these tweets suddenly disappeared.

Although our federal government seems to be currently occupied by people who either deny climate change or would rather not deal with it, the fact of the matter is that climate change is real and is caused by human activity. The famous scientist Bill Nye recently advocated for The Solutions Project, a group of civil engineers who advocate for renewable energy, while claiming that “you could power the United States, you could power most of the world, renewably if you just decided to do it, right now. There’s enough wind and solar resources, a little bit of tidal and some geothermal, to run the whole place.”

With the right leadership and proper direction, life on this planet can flourish for years to come. However, with more irresponsibility and disregard for scientific fact, our planet will continue to deteriorate until it is no longer suitable for human life.

For more information, specifics, and ways to get involved, the Environmental Protection Agency has a web page specifically devoted to climate change, which you can visit (for now) at https://www.epa.gov/ climatechange. Additionally, you can inform yourself further about renewable energy, ways to donate, and employment opportunities towards 100 percent renewable energy by visiting http://thesolutionsproject.org/.