May 31, 2022
Opinion Story
by Tara Malhotra
While climate change has been an ongoing global issue for several decades, it has become direr in recent years. It seems like such a daunting problem and can be very intimidating to solve. Many people wonder ‘can I play a role in helping the environment?’ ‘Is it challenging to do my part?’ ‘Where do I even start if I want to make a difference?’
Fortunately, having a positive impact on the environment is not as difficult as it might seem. There are plenty of simple and quick things that people can do to help preserve our planet.
According to the United Nations, greenhouse gasses, which are produced by the burning of fossil fuels, are warming the Earth and causing climate change. These gasses surround the Earth and trap heat in the atmosphere. This process leads to extreme weather patterns, conflagrations, habitat loss, species extinction, and many other devastating effects.
To combat climate change, people can take action in their daily lives. I believe that these efforts can be grouped into three main categories: education, consumerism, and action.
Education revolves around informing yourself about environmental issues to better understand how climate change affects our world. By learning about global warming, more people can be inspired to brainstorm new solutions to stop this progression. In addition, individuals can share what they have learned with others, motivating entire communities to do their part as well.
Dawn Roje, the Brentwood School Global Climate Change: Science, Society, and Solutions teacher, recommends an introductory educational book about climate change.
“Educate yourself on the issues [of global warming]. I highly recommend What We Know About Climate Change by Kerry Emanuel! It's only 60 pages, and is written for the ‘layperson’,” Roje said.
The second category I recommend is consumerism. Consumerism describes being conscious of what we use and what we purchase. Conscious shopping is extremely important, as a 2016 Norwegian University study found that consumers are responsible for over 60 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions.
A few examples of acts that fall into the consumerism category are recycling, only buying the quantity of food you need, and composting.
Aidyl Gonzalez, a Brentwood School biology teacher, touches on other measures we can take to improve our consumption.
“There’s many things that people at home can do to help the environment. This can be reducing one-time plastics, using recycled water to water lawns, turning the water off when you’re brushing your teeth, cutting down on waste, trying to use natural energy, buying an electric car, and using reusable water bottles,” Gonzalez said.
The third facet of my approach is taking action for the environment. This can include anything from voting for environmentally-friendly candidates to donating to reputable organizations. Personal involvement is crucial when tackling climate change because it encourages our whole world to also strive for progress. Taking action further allows people to promote meaningful change outside of their individual efforts.
Although these steps alone will not completely eliminate global warming, they provide a framework for people to make a difference by themselves and as a community. No action or person is too small. If we all get involved, we can alter our current trajectory and protect our future.
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