Climate Change; What the Government Doesn't See

Climate change is becoming considerably more prevalent everyday, but the effect it has on American citizens could never be understood by our government. Earth’s temperature has been rising on average of 0.14 degrees Fahrenheit each decade since 1880 due to the effects of the pre-industrial era, but is now increasing twice as fast after 1981 (0.32°f). On record 2022 was the sixth warmest year according to NOAA climate data, and only part of the ten historically warmest years that have all occurred during and after the year 2010. The 2020 coronavirus pandemic not only momentarily paused our ever moving world, but shed light on the damage that humans are doing to the planet. An example of climate change we have witnessed in the last 4 years are the Australian Bushfires of 2020. The Australian bushfires that took place during early 2020 became the most intense and calamitous climate disasters in Australia’s history, burning an estimated 243,000 square kilometers of land and destroying thousands of buildings and homes. These fires led to the deaths of over thirty people, and affected the lives of over three billion terrestrial invertebrates. The cause of these bushfires started from late 2019 to March 2020, where various regions of the state of South Wales, eastern/south-eastern Victoria  burned for more than 4 consecutive weeks. A state of emergency was declared, beginning in South Wales where reinforcements from all over the country were called in to assist fires and alleviate the fear and exhaust of the citizens and local crew in the region. With the help of foreign countries like America, Singapore, Canada, New Zealand, etc; equipment and supplies were supplied to the local reinforcements to help tackle the rapid spreading wildfires. Unfortunately, in the process of managing the wildfires three firefighters and three operators died, both due to fatal accidents during operation. The outcome of this devastation led to regions of South Wales (NSW), North Coast, Hunter Region, Hawkesbury, Wollondilly, Blue Mountains, Lllawarra, eastern/south-eastern Victoria, West Australia, East Gippsland, Greater Sydney, etc. This disaster is also labeled as the costliest natural disaster in Australia’s history due to 78-88 billion dollars of property damage and economic loss, and possibly the most noticeable climate change disasters as an estimated 715 million tons of carbon emissions were a result of the wildfires , impacting weather conditions in multiple continents and dropping Australia’s air quality to hazardous levels in all southern and eastern state regions.   

Although global warming is an inevitable threat to Earth’s ecosystems and wildlife, acts and programs have been created to tackle the growing issue. For instance, the EPA’s Clean Air Act provided protection for the oil and natural gas industry to help reduce emissions of harmful pollutions and combat climate change, including vaporous organic compounds that contribute to ground-level ozone and hazardous air pollutants such as benzene-- a highly flammable chemical that carries a sweet odor, usually colorless or light yellow at room temperature. This act was established in 1970 by National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) as a way to protect public health and welfare. The goal of the act was to achieve NAAQS in every state in the frame of five years to address any potential risk posed by certain widespread pollutants , such as developing state implementation plans (SIP’s). State implementation plans are generally imposed by the states to ensure implementation maintenance, and enforcement of NAAQS in every state, usually containing three categories such as state adopted control measures that comprise of either state statues and regulations, or source specific requirements; state submitted non-regulatory components, including additional requirements listed in section 110 of the Clean Air Act. The act was later created as an amendment known as the 1990 Clean Air Act amendment. This amendment was proposed by President Bush as a way to build on congressional proposals, which had significantly improved and advanced at the time. The proposed legislations goal was designed to curb three major environmental threats to the nation and to the health of millions of Americans, such as toxic rain, urban air pollution, and hazardous air emissions. Thus, the importance and urgency of the proposed bill was able to make its way to the House of representatives, eventually being passed with the major components of the presidents proposal, including additional provisions requiring the phaseout of ozone depleting chemicals and addressing accidental release of  air pollutants. 

However, bills and proposals have apparently been inadequate as global temps continue to rise higher than ever, marine pollution continues to collect, ecosystems and wildlife continue to eradicate. The constant threat of wildfires across the globe are creating hazardous air, impacting our communities and daily life. The picture presented on the top right hand corner is a personal photo taken of the a road verge near my residence, where the foliage clearly has pieces of plastic and garbage scattered everywhere. Most garbage included fast food containers and wrapping, plastic bottles, cardboard, plastic bags, etc which can easily be recycled and disposed of properly. This highway trash emphasizes the value of recycled and disposing of garbage appropriately, especially in urban areas such as New York city as garbage has limited places to go if not disposed of properly, eventually leading to garbage collecting in sewers, streets, bodies of water, parks, etc. Thus, posing a threat to wildlife, transportation systems, sewage systems, and general health and safety of the public.  

Society is definitely facing the horrendous impacts of global warming in the current age, but that doesn’t mean solutions can’t be acquired. Marine life is continuously facing the impacts of pollution as trash floats aimlessly in our oceans, getting stuck in the bodies of marine wildlife and indirectly poisoning our oceans. Over the years many foundations have took action to mitigate the ongoing issue and educate people on the importance of recycling and the consequences of  destroying the beautiful fragile planet every human being has called home. 

For instance, the Great Barrier Reef Foundations specializes in the preservation of the world’s largest coral reef system known as the Great Barrier Reef. The reef is located off the east coast of Queensland mainland, Australia that is composed of 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands, stretching 2,300 over a total area of about 344,400 kilometers and home to over 130 species, including 1,625 vertebrae fish species.  The Great Barrier Reef foundation was initiated after a devastating environmental disaster of the Great Barrier Reef in 1988, killing 1 of 12 major corals species. Their response was to immediately embark on a life long mission to make sure the Great Barrier reef stays healthy and prosperous so such devastation never occurs again. Due to being a collaborative organization the GBR foundation has been able to raise funds, invest in innovative ideas and design real-world, scalable conservation programs that help deliver breakthroughs in marine and terrestrial restoration, while continuing conservation initiatives and deploying solutions around the globe. Additionally, technology has played a major role in discovering new approaches maintaining the reefs ecosystems such as cryopreservation, which combines science, technology, and engineering to increase population of  coral vegetation. By collecting small pieces of coral tissue or reproductive material and placing it in liquid nitrogen it helps allow the biological activity from the coral samples to pause and extend storing period, essentially serving as a back up plan in order to protect coral species and provide resources for future coral restoration efforts. Although efforts likes these are constructing positive solutions and outcomes for our ecosystems and communities, changing the world for the better can be as little as the positive actions taken from one person to help combat climate change, that can easily be implemented in everyday life. Renewable energy and utilizing earth’s natural are an essential part in creating sustainability in communities and fighting climate change, but  helping combat climate change in your community doesn’t have to be a hefty task because big changes start with small steps. Environmentally-friendly behaviors you can start doing in your community and home to contribute to the fight against climate change are tasks such as creating a garbage organization system at home, which can become a fun activity to do with younger children as it helps introduce environmentally-friendly habits for the future. Other task include reducing water consumption (showering for less time/turning the tap off if not in use/reduce the use of radiator heaters for a cheaper sustainable option like a heat pump water heater), wasting less food, choosing public transportation over driving, planting trees or flowers around your community as an activity, reducing electrical usage (take a walk outside and breathe fresh air), and donating to reliable trustworthy organizations that want to help fight global warming because when people come together to bring advocate for change, anything is possible.