In an attempt to stay somewhat up to date with what is going on around the world, I have recently added checking The Huffington Post to my daily routine. Even if it is while I am devouring my morning oatmeal and coffee, I guess it makes me feel at least a little bit more "in the know." As I am not one who enjoys feasting my eyes upon the latest stupid thing Donald Trump said on TV. I usually head over to HuffPost's World News section. After skimming over a few headlines that contained words like "nuclear weapons" and "suicide bombing," I saw something that caught my eye. Could it be? An article about global warming? I know, what's new? That's literally what went through my mind. However, compared to the other headlines, this one seemed like it may offer something a little less somber than the others.
While I am certain that reading about global warming is, in theory, a lot less depressing than reading about the latest suicide bomber attack, after finishing HuffPost's article "Greenhouse Gases Reached Record Highs in 2014,", I couldn't help but feel anything but pessimistic regarding the future of our planet. It reported that "the United Nations panel of climate scientists estimates that concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide are at their highest in at least 800,000 years."
Additionally, the World Meteorological Organization revealed that global carbon dioxide emissions are now 143 percent of pre-industrial levels. To add to that, the United Nations has reported that carbon dioxide levels have steadily increased to 400 parts per million (ppm) and have been hitting record highs consistently since 1984. The average carbon dioxide level in 2014 was 397.7 ppm, but it briefly surpassed 400 ppm in early 2014, and again in 2015. What does all this information mean? The same thing it always does: hotter global temperatures, increased glacial melting, increased sea levels, increased acidity of the oceans, and more extreme weather conditions.
Don't we already know this?! The point I am getting at here is not that we suck as a human race, but mainly, why are we still doing absolutely nothing? So I guess my point is that we suck, but what's even sadder is that we have the ability to do something about this right now, before it's too late, and we continuously shrug it off. Every year I hear every world leader get on live television and report that they are acting now to slash their country's greenhouse gas emissions and that they are doing everything in their power to save the planet. While I am aware of some of the strides that have been taken to decrease greenhouse gas emissions, it obviously still isn't enough.
Upon revealing the rise in carbon dioxide emissions, World Meteorological Secretary-General Michel Jarraund also stated that if we do not act now, soon carbon dioxide levels will permanently remain at 400 ppm, and temperature increase will no longer be at manageable levels. In other words, we need to act now to ensure the safety of our planet and future generations.
Despite the fact that this is global problem, there are many steps that you can take as an individual to decrease your carbon footprint. Your carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide you emit due to your use of fossil fuels. In case you are interested, this nifty website can assist you with calculating that number.
Furthermore, here are a few suggestions to help decrease your carbon footprint: be energy efficient by switching off lights, unplug electronics when they're not in use, look for the Energy Star label when you're buying new appliances, wash your clothes in cold or tap water instead of hot, make sure your home is properly insulated, buy local and organic produce, and recycle. Although it may seem like it won't make a difference, if we all start being more aware of these tiny changes we can make in our daily lives, it will add up! Lastly, I urge everyone to get informed on climate change by checking out the EPA's website.
