[dropcap][/dropcap][dropcap][/dropcap]The issue of climate change has always been a big hit-or-miss topic with Americans. Historically, we have been a divided country, with polarized opinions on the issue.
Since the days of Al Gore’s 2000 presidential campaign, when many people simply wrote him off as an “alarmist,” the scientific community has done a great job of putting the facts and information out there for people to take in. Whether citizens accept, deny, or simply ignore the science, it is up to them.
As time goes on, more and more people are starting to realize that Al Gore’s statements on climate change were more than just a premonition of some sort of doomsday. However, even with a growing awareness of the issue, it still remains a relatively less-urgent issue going forward. Climate change usually takes a back seat to issues like the economy, national security, healthcare, immigration or gun control. Even though it’s not as much of a pressing issue as others, it’s still affecting a larger portion of the Earth than anything else. It’s affecting everything on Earth.
Let’s say your main concern is the economy. Clean energy is a huge growth industry and has great potential, given its growing demand. The technology that comes with it also has the potential to create a lot of jobs. It’s also not a smart thing to invest your economy in non-renewable resources because they have the habit of running out.
Let’s say your main concern is national security. The American military is already studying models of how climate change will affect resource conflicts around the world. The current global craze is oil. But much like pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving dinner, everyone wants it and it’s going to eventually run out. It could alleviate a lot of future stress if we were to become independent of a resource that has the potential to cause tension with foreign relations as it inevitably runs out.
Let’s say you primarily care about healthcare. The mosquitos that carry malaria, dengue, and Zika thrive in warmer climates. Climate change is slowly heating our atmosphere and thus making the world more inhabitable for them.
According to a 2014 poll by the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication, 63% of Americans believe climate change is happening and 61% believe it will harm future generations.
With an incoming administration that largely denies the reality of climate change, both tensions and the atmosphere will inevitably heat up more than we would like.
