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Climate change is happening. It is all across the globe and many people have finally realized the impacts due to it. For the 2020 election, many possible Democratic candidates have put climate change as one of their top priorities. Some of these ideas include a pollution fee proposed by Senator Kamala Harris to help mitigate the issue or simply a budget working towards solving this issue such as Bernie Sander's proposal of 16 trillion dollars. The Green New Deal, a liberal proposal to solve climate change, has a goal of reaching a net zero of carbon emissions in a decade. Obviously this is a very high goal and seemingly unrealistic but many activists say "the bolder the action, the better."
Though scientists have confirmed climate change and the harrowing impacts of it on the flora and fauna of the world, many are still on the fence of whether or not it should be supported. In fact, only 44% of the people who acknowledge climate change think there should be something done about it. I believe that climate change should be a main priority in the next decade because we need to help reduce the damage it has already caused to this planet. The carbon tax is one of the best ways to help companies reduce their emissions and it can hugely benefit the air quality as well as mitigate the impacts of climate change.
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Climate change is happening. It is all across the globe and many people have finally realized the impacts due to it. For the 2020 election, many possible Democratic candidates have put climate change as one of their top priorities. Some of these ideas include a pollution fee proposed by Senator Kamala Harris to help mitigate the issue or simply a budget working towards solving this issue such as Bernie Sander's proposal of 16 trillion dollars. The Green New Deal, a liberal proposal to solve climate change, has a goal of reaching a net zero of carbon emissions in a decade. Obviously this is a very high goal and seemingly unrealistic but many activists say "the bolder the action, the better."
6 comments:
People have trouble acknowledging climate change, probably because it's so damn scary. Refusing to believe it allows people to continue to push agendas that would worsen it, or at least block regulations that could help the issue but run counter to their agendas. Even at the individual level, considering the idea that the world could end in a few year's time is terrifying to think about. Living with this ticking time bomb always in the back of your mind is exhausting, and like people say, ignorance is bliss. This is going to take a lot of money, a lot of mobilization, and possibly a few breaches of personal liberty. I don't know how far the governments of the world are willing to go to fight climate change, but I do know that I'd sacrifice a hell of a lot for the chance to live past thirty.
I think the issue of climate change should be a major topic for the 2020 elections. Without the Earth, there will be no government, debates or future elections. What matters right now is that we are damaging our environment and not enough is being done to protect it. The disagreement regarding whether climate change is really happening has been a common debate since Trump took office, becoming especially controversial when Trump decided to pull the United States out of the Paris Agreement in 2017. He claimed that it was necessary to back out of the agreement in order to protect the US economy. I personally believe that the increasing amount of scientific studies have continued to prove that climate change is happening, and it is being primarily driven by the greenhouse effect occurring in our atmosphere. Overall, I think that it is very important that the public be educated on the topic when deciding on which candidates to elect for the upcoming elections.
I'm glad future candidates are prioritizing climate change, and I'd definitely support someone who has a plan to mitigate its effects in the election. Riddhi said that only 44% of people who acknowledge climate change are willing to do something about it, and I think part of the reason why that percentage is relatively low is because people don't know how exactly to fight climate change. Most ordinary people can't just show up at a big factory and tell it to reduce its carbon emissions-- it's legislators who can do that by passing laws-- but a lot of people probably feel removed from this policy-making process. There are linkage institutions here in San Mateo, such as Citizens' Climate Lobby and its child club at Aragon, for those who are more interested in government. But for those who don't consider themselves very politically active, I think the best way for us to help fight climate change is to talk about it and raise awareness in order to establish an exigency for change and build a network of support for those who are struggling to get legislation through Congress.
Climate change has to be one of the top issues if not the single top issue moving into the elections in 2020. A report published by EPA staffers predicts that unless we take drastic action against climate change, the disastrous effects of climate change will end up costing the United States over 200 billion dollars a year by 2090. There is no amount of money or policy which can be considered "too much" in my opinion. If it costs 16 trillion, so be it. The alternative is more expensive in the long run, doesn't create the same jobs that the Green New Deal does, and threatens life as we know it. Anyone who wants to grow old and/or raise children ought to seriously consider candidates climate policies when picking a favorite.
Climate change is one of the most important topics of current times. It is clear that if action is not taken soon to help the environment, we are dooming ourselves and all life on this planet which is terrifying. Taking into mind the amount of people who still refuse to believe or acknowledge the impact of climate change, our situation seems to keep getting more and more hopeless. This topic must be a major player in the upcoming presidential elections. Trump has time and time again refused to believe scientific facts and warnings about climate change, which has led to decisions like exiting the Paris Agreement. As a country with extremely high carbon emissions and pollution in general, Americans need to pay extra attention to the stance presidential candidates have on this issue because it could very likely define the future of not only the nation but the world. If we get stuck with another president who refuses to even try to make policies to fight this global disaster, we could be signing away the futures of all next generations. However, a president who follows through on their claim to fight climate change could have an extremely positive impact. Yes, these policies won't be cheap or easy but when considering the alternative (death for basically all of Earth), it's clear to see that they need to happen. People must get more involved in activism and make sure to vote in elections to make sure the nation's government will be one that finally fights climate change.
Many people in this comment thread are talking about the worries that people have about not knowing what to do about climate change. I agree one hundred percent that people are confused and scared about this topic because they realize its consequences but don't know what to do about them. Hopefully in the 2020 election, we will have a presidential candidate who understands the risks of climate change and makes drastic changes to the policies to change the course of the planet. America is one of the highest polluting countries and if we are able to change our ways we may have a great impact across the globe.
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