Changing Climate, Changing Minds

Staff Writers: Isaac Noguchi and Haylee Houghtailing

In this bustling world full of distractions, it's easy to overlook pressing matters such as climate change. Climate change is the gradual shift in the overall temperature and weather patterns on Earth. Despite the fact that our world goes through these changes naturally, humanity has become the chief cause of this dramatic climate mutation. This is happening due to the burning of large amounts of fossil fuels such as gas and coal, which release greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases contribute to global warming by helping to trap more of the sun's radiation in our own atmosphere. In turn, rising temperatures will cause sea levels to rise, which will disrupt the lives of millions of people, as most of the Earth's major population centers are near water.  It will prove especially harmful for small island communities such as Hawaii. With the constant threat of sea level rise and consequences that can feel so near, Ke Ali'i asked what's going through the minds of our Damien ohana regarding climate change. 

“While I believe [climate change] is affecting the world,” says Robert Noguchi, a sophomore here at Damien, “I don’t see the impacts, personally.” Noguchi also claims that trying to fight the course of nature will only bring about a rise in the amount of money regular citizens will have to pay as the country begins to roll out renewable energy sources.  Senior class member Hayden Mandaquit also has his own input. “Climate change is affecting everybody,” he says, “and it’s not very healthy.”  Luckily, Mandaquit envisions a hopeful future, one full of hybrid cars where we “stop burning them(sic) fossils!”

  James Cramer, an algebra teacher here at Damien Memorial School who says he’s been studying this topic for decades, views climate change through a different lens. He strongly believes that “This is a cycle the Earth has been going through for years now,” Cramer goes on to explain that throughout history, the Earth has gone through repeated cycles of cooling and heating, that this is a normal pattern of behavior for our planet. “All of these things have been happening since the beginning of human history, it's just that they are being covered in real time.”  Cramer has a years-long history studying biology and biochemistry and considers himself very informed on the topic. He also prominently states that “Humankind is the most destructive force on the planet,” comparing it to a virus. 

While he does believe there are things we can do to slow down pollution and the advance of climate-related issues, Cramer is firm in his stance that there is nothing we can do to change the trajectory our world is on. He states that the path we have chosen for our planet is inevitable and we cannot fully solve the problem anymore. “You know the best thing I can really tell people is to plant a tree,” Cramer says.

He also strongly advises to be careful about what to believe when it comes to the media, continuing to elaborate on the matter by saying “[...]when it suits their narrative, events get overblown by the media, and climate alarmists.” He thinks that while it is an incredibly serious issue, it’s not what the media makes it out to be. “Have humans accelerated the warming of our planet? YES. The burning of anything, starting with the first campfire, has been introducing extra carbon into the atmosphere. However, in comparison to the eruption of a single volcano, it is still a fraction of those emissions.” 

Despite differences in overall views on climate change, its effect on our world has definitely reached the Hawaii community at large and has potential to inspire change in the near future, if not now. By adapting to our new reality of climate change, humanity will be able to compensate for many years of using non-renewable energy sources. Small actions we can take to help the environment today and combat climate change are walking or biking to places we would normally drive, or take Cramer’s advice and plant a tree or two.  Small acts of kindness towards our environment like those listed above can change the world. It doesn’t matter whether we are young or old, we can always lend a helping hand towards our one and only home, Earth.