We’ve heard about it since we were young, “recycle, ride your bike instead of drive your car, conserve and plant a tree.” But we aren’t scared yet. Is global warming real? Yes. Is it something to keep us up at night? Definitely.
Why should we care? If global warming is real National Geographic, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United Nations, and these articles from various authorities on world conditions and climate say that it is, why do we need to be concerned?
Rising temperatures will lead to major shifts in climate. Deserts will grow and spread. Coastal areas will flood. In the United States with our resources it would cause havoc to have most of the population of Florida move inland, but our infrastructure could handle it. But in India with a population of 1.2 billion, 300 million (the population of the US) of which are under the age of 14, could have half of its population displaced by coastal flooding. Their infrastructure isn’t prepared for that kind of climate change.
But that’s way over in India, why should we care here? Because they’ll have to move, putting stress on the countries around them. Hundreds of millions of people relocating will stress the global economy. Besides it shouldn’t matter if a poor person lives in India or next door, we should still be concerned for their welfare, we should still want to help.
So what can we do about it? Those things that we were taught about as children we can apply them here. But the biggest thing we can do is care. We can talk about this issue. A century might seem a long time away, but just as with airplanes flying cross country a slight course change now, can make a big difference at the end of the route. The difference between arriving in San Francisco instead of Los Angeles is a few degrees when starting from New York. Can we stop Global Warming by ending all coal burning, car emissions, and cows today? Probably not, but we can change our course by a few degrees now and make a huge difference in the next century. Give a global gift to your grandchildren. Care today.