Climate change is real: it’s time for all of us to start taking action
This is the Our View, prepared by the Editorial Board and should be considered the institutional voice of The Record.
The scenes from Hurricane Ian have been devastating.
More than two million Floridians were without power Wednesday night, while many of those who have called 911 remain stranded in their homes. Videos of massive waves, whipping winds and flying objects are readily available on the news or social media. The storm made landfall as a Category 4 storm Wednesday afternoon with sustained winds that reached 150 mph—only 7 mph slower than a Category 5, the highest criteria on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. It has already resulted in immense damage to cars, homes, and other buildings – a cost that will only be more realized in the coming weeks when the sea recedes, leaving behind a wake of death and life-altering destruction.
The people of Florida aren’t alone in their situation either. Hurricane Fiona hit Puerto Rico last week, and as of Tuesday, about 33% of homes and businesses were still without power. Thousands still don’t have running water. What makes the situation in Puerto Rico even harder is that the island is still recovering from Hurricanes Maria and Irma, the pair of 2017 Category 5 storms that resulted in an estimated $100 billion in damages.
These disasters make clear the should-be-universal truth: that climate change is already upon us. Global temperatures are rising, severe storms are becoming more prevalent and the list of endangered species is getting longer. These are just some of the many effects.
Since 1980, the United States has sustained 332 weather and climate disasters where the overall damages and costs have reached or exceeded $1 billion (including Consumer Price Index adjustment to 2022). For those 332 events, the total cost exceeds $2.3 trillion. Even more concerning, $1 billion disasters are becoming more frequent: there were 56 in the last three years, and 20 last year alone, totaling $152.6 billion. These $1 billion disasters reach every corner of the United States.
Heat waves, tornados, forest fires, coastal flooding, drought and hailstorms—the list goes on and on, affecting every state. If your justification for inaction rests on the fact that you live and/or go to school in Minnesota, think again. The state has already faced four $1 billion storms this year. All four were categorized as severe weather or hailstorms, a stark contrast from the drought and heat wave that incurred $9.4 billion worth of damages in 2021.
In fact, since the National Centers for Environmental Information began collecting weather damage data in 1980, there has never been a year with more than three $1 billion or more weather events in Minnesota until this year.
At the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a stark warning: “Our fragile planet is hanging by a thread. We are still knocking on the door of climate catastrophe. It is time to go into emergency mode–or our chance of reaching net-zero will itself be zero,” he said.
When more than a dozen CSB+SJU students attend COP27 this year, they will certainly hear similar statements. With all of these concerns, there is still time to do something. It doesn’t have to be giant actions either. One way to help is simply to spread the word and speak up. Display a willingness to have conversations with your friends and family, and know how to point them to facts, figures and ways to help.
Reducing your food waste is another small way to contribute meaningfully. Actually eat the food you buy, and compost what you can. According to a 2021 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report, it’s estimated that “each year, the U.S. food loss and waste embodies 170 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (excluding landfill emissions)—equal to the annual CO2 emissions of 42 coal-fired power plants.”
Reducing food waste not only helps by decreasing the significant effects of climate change, it also increases food security, keeps food out of landfills, and can save you a lot of money. These are just two of the many ways you as an individual can help with the climate crisis. “Change only happens when individuals take action,” said Aliya Haq, clean energy advocate. It starts with us.