Air pollution and climate change are serious issues that are often taken lightly. However, the reality is that there are major social and economic concerns that come along with these issues that must be addressed. With every decision that we make as a society, there are ramifications for current and future generations. We have a responsibility to become as educated as we can on the matter in order to make these very difficult decisions.
After reading chapter 4 of the CQ reader, I have many mixed feelings regarding President Obama’s Clean Power Plan. When reading the statistics regarding the number of heart attacks, asthma attacks and premature deaths that can be avoided by decreasing ozone levels, my gut reaction was that we have a responsibility towards the health of our fellow Americans. Contemplating the financial burden—jobs lost and higher cost of living—forced me to think twice. This brings up a reoccurring question: is the large financial burden this generation needs to swallow worth it for future generations? This is not an easy question to answer, but we have a responsibility to really think about it. We do need to consider future generations. There have been tangible changes in our climate and weather.
This winter alone we experienced a beautiful 50-degree day followed by a blizzard that closed schools and offices. This is not something we have seen in the past. There is no denying that this issue exists. According to scientists, the main goal is to prevent the earth’s temperature from rising 2 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. Sea levels have risen by more than six inches in the last century and there are more extreme weather events occurring.
I don’t know what the answer to all of this is. Perhaps we need to bite the bullet now and find ways to finance the switch to renewable resources including helping those who will not be able to afford losing their jobs or pay higher bills. Where are we supposed to find the funding for this? I don’t know. I do think it is important for us to advocate for what we believe in because I cannot imagine us living in this world, trying to make our mark, for it all to melt away.
Another important issues that kept arising in this reading was how political climate change is. President Obama made an executive order for the Clean Power Plan to come about instead of going through Congress. There were also questions of whether he had the authority to do this. These were things he was criticized for. I also thought it was interesting that the chapter ends with the 2016 election and how things will be with a republican president. Now that we have a republican president and we have seen some of the actions he has taken with regard to climate change, I am curious to see how things play out in the months to come. As usual, it all falls back on politics. We need to do our duty and advocate for what we believe in.
Yes, the politics of climate change are shifting. It will be important to keep an eye on where they are going.