McKay Jenkins

GEOG 1000
4/20/2016

Climate Change Opinion Essay

Climate change is an interesting topic. It seems to be one of those
topics that many people have strong opinions about and yet a vast majority
have hardly any knowledge about the actual facts. I remember talking about
the topic in my middle school earth science class and also hearing things
while talking about the different political parties in government classes but
beyond that, I was pretty clueless as to what the actual facts were pertaining
to climate change.
I am the type of person that likes to see facts. Unless something can be
proven with science is it actually real or did it really happen? One thing that I
came to find out is that although there may be several opinions about how to
deal with the climate change we are experiencing, the facts are undeniable.
In my opinion, climate change is definitely happening and it is not just
the earth going through one of its natural warming periods. When looking at
the amount of CO2 we have in the air compared to before the Industrial
Revolution, the numbers are staggering. Obviously humans and our different
methods of producing goods and transporting ourselves is taking a toll on
the earth. The biggest problem is that people either do not know the facts,
or they are too ignorant to accept what is actually happening. Although
there are a small percentage of the population trying to do there best to
adjust their way of life, the truth is that that small percentage is simply not

enough. Everybody needs to be on board before we can even begin to make

a dent in the mess that we have created for ourselves. Then again, the
question of whether or not we have dug ourselves too deep into this mess
becomes an unfortunate thing to think about.
However, making a change in the world always starts with you
deciding to change. There have been several lifestyle changes I have made
to do my best to help this situation. One of the things I do is avoid taking my
car whenever possible. When taking short trips around town, I try to opt for
a bike or my longboard rather than my car. Also, whenever I need to go
downtown for anything, I opt to take the TRAX train rather than my car.
Carpooling is also something I try to do whenever it is unavoidable to take a
car. There is no need for my four friends and I to all take our individuals cars
to an event we are all attending. If all of us made more of an effort to
carpool, we could reduce the carbon footprint we are making and also maybe
help out with the increasing traffic in the valley.
Another thing that I have tried to do is become more energy efficient.
There is the obvious switching of the light bulbs to LEDs but one thing my
family and I did in the last year was have a home energy audit. We were
able to see all of the things we were doing that were using up energy such as
leaving things plugged in when not in use, using the dryer to often, etc.
Since then, my family and I have been much more conscious of the energy
that we use and try our best to only use certain appliances when it is
absolutely necessary.

Buying organic and locally grown foods is also a way to help out.
Overly processed items contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. According
to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, eighteen percent of
greenhouse gas emissions come from meat and dairy production alone.
Organic and locally produced foods are becoming more and more readily
available. They are also much healthier for our body so it is a win-win for all
factors in this equation.
In conclusion, it is hard to fathom the kind of damage that humans
have caused and are causing to this beautiful place we call home. Many
people like to be ignorant and think that their lifestyle is not affecting the
earth in anyway. The best we can do is do our best to reduce our carbon
footprint and hopefully encourage others to do the same. As I said before,
most people simply do not know the facts. But once they do see what is
actually happening, as we all know, knowledge is power, and that knowledge
is eventually what could bring the change we are hoping for.

Bibliography
Berger, Daniel. "7 Scary Facts about Climate Change." Msnbc.com. NBC News
Digital, 15 Apr. 2015. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.
<http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/7-scary-facts-about-climate-change>.
Gregoire, Carolyn. "Why Some Conservatives Can't Accept That Climate
Change Is Real."Huffington Post. Huffington Post, 4 Dec. 2015. Web. 19
Apr. 2016. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/climate-changedenial-psychology_us_56438664e4b045bf3ded5ca5>.
Hogan, John. "Climate Change: Facts vs. Opinion." Scientific American.
Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2015. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.
<http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cross-check/climate-change-factsversus-opinions/>.
Porter, Eduardo. "Liberal Biases, Too, May Block Progress on Climate
Change." The New York Times. The New York Times, 19 Apr. 2016. Web.
19 Apr. 2016.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/20/business/economy/liberalbiases-too-may-block-progress-on-climate-change.html?_r=0>.
United States Environmental Protection Agency. "What You Can Do." What
You Can Do. USEPA, 23 Feb. 2016. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.
<https://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/>.