I'm Worried About Climate Change, But I'm Optimistic About Our Future

I watch a lot of documentaries, and some of my favorites focus on nature. Ever since I was a kid, I have been fascinated with different environments and animals from all different parts of the world. Documentaries like "Planet Earth," "The Blue Planet," and "The Hunted" all display amazing camerawork, as well as a vivid exploration into the many different habitats the world has to offer.

Recently, it came to my attention that a particular lake is exposed to the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. This means no animals are able to venture out during the day. If any of the animals did, their skin would burn and become deadly, leading to death. This change of atmosphere is a result of human interference with the environment.

As time goes forward, the number of animals potentially going extinct rises. While many people in my generation fully acknowledge that climate change is a real thing, many people from older generations are slow to come to terms.

My mother and father are special; they recognize the changes that have come to the weather in the DMV area. They talk about how it used to be unheard of to have temperatures going from the frigid teens and single digits, to skyrocket to tank top weather in a matter of a few days. Fast-forward to today, and this phenomenon happens at a much more frequent rate.

I wish I could say that my parents' mindset was in the majority. Unfortunately, this simply is not the case. If you look at our current government system, the ignorance at the high levels is cringe-worthy at the very least. One example of this is Scott Pruitt, previous Head of the Environmental Protection Agency. Pruitt flat out said that a rising temperature might not be a "bad thing" and that global warming is "highly exaggerated."

With comments like these, it is no surprise that there is a massive pushback from the younger generation to the older generation to bring the climate change discussion to the forefront. Legislation such as the Green New Deal brings these issues to the legislature. While the bill will probably not pass the Senate, the turning tide of Generation Y growing up and having a voice in government makes me optimistic for the future.