Why You Should Care About Climate Change

Climate change has been a large part of political discourse recently, especially considering we currently have a president who doesn't believe that it's real. The White House website removed its page on climate change immediately after Donald Trump was inaugurated, and Scott Pruitt, the newly-appointed administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, thinks that the science on climate change is "far from settled."

Pruitt's statement is entirely untrue. There is a consensus among climate scientists that human-caused global climate change is occurring and will continue to affect this planet if we do not make serious changes. In fact, most of the people you will hear trying to tell you that climate change isn't real or isn't caused by humans are not climate scientists. The fact is that there is a 97% consensus among climate scientists that global warming and climate change are real issues that need to be addressed. We need to start paying attention to it.

Climate change doesn't just mean global warming. When scientists are referring to climate change, they are referring to "any long-term change in Earth's climate, or in the climate of a region or city. This includes warming, cooling, and changes besides temperature." The Earth getting warmer isn't our only problem, however. These changes in climate can negatively affect the Earth's water sources, cause depletion of biodiversity in Arctic ecosystems as well as in forests, increase disease, worsened smog, increase flood risks, and create countless economic risks. We may even begin to experience crop failure. These changes will definitely be hitting Earth hard by the year 2100, if not as early as 2050.

Climate scientists predict that when these changes reach their worst, people will not be able to step outside without sunscreen. Most humans will survive, most animals will not. Crops will fail. Our food supply will plummet. We all need to start making serious changes in order to save our Earth.

Using less energy and water is a great way to personally help with climate change. Be conscious of protecting trees and maybe even plant some, because the more trees we have, the more carbon dioxide will be absorbed from the atmosphere. Also, be sure to educate yourself as much as possible about climate change. Because of the way that things are going with our government and the "fake news" phenomenon, it's incredibly important to know what's true and what isn't when it comes to climate change. Knowing your facts and spreading those facts to others is one of the best things you can do.