Reprinted with permission from Brunswick County Early College High School’s The Firebird Times.

It is no surprise that climate change has been a pressing issue for decades. Whether it be from fossil fuel emissions, mass deforestation, or the rapidly growing population, climate change is a huge problem right now within our society, and we are starting to see the effects of that.

Currently, there are raging wildfires in California. These wildfires started on January 7th of this year in the Pacific Palisades. This fire is actively rampaging through California and has burned over 40,000 acres of land in LA County. Thousands of people have lost their homes, personal belongings, and unfortunately in some cases, loved ones. The official reason as to how this fire started in the first place is unknown, however, we can likely attribute a huge reason to climate change. The western part of the United States is notorious for its dry climates and intense heat, especially during the warmer months such as July and August. Though wildfires aren’t necessarily uncommon in regions of the country such as California, the numbers at which they are popping up have been increasing over the years. A 2016 study conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found that climate change played a huge role when it came to drying out organic matter, which primarily doubled the amount of fires in the Western United States between the years 1984 and 2015. They also stated that “Drought and persistent heat set the stage for extraordinary wildfire seasons from 2020 to 2022 across many western states.”

Now you might be thinking, sure, that stuff is all true but why should I care? Well, climate change doesn’t only affect the amount of global wildfires, but rather all other humanitarian emergencies such as hurricanes, floods, and heat waves. On that note, think about the amount of hurricanes that we have had in the past couple of decades compared to older ones. Or think about the melting glaciers in the Arctic and the massive floods and devastation that is happening. Animals are being displaced from their natural habitats and many animals are on the brink of extinction. Countries such as Greenland that house species reliant on the cold climate are melting rapidly. The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research stated “Greenland is currently losing 234 billion tons of ice per year. That’s enough ice to pack into 6,324 Empire State Buildings. Ice is melting seven times faster now than it was in the 1990s.” No matter what angle you look at this phenomenon from there is no way of simply ignoring it. Now, yes this is all true but what can I, one person, truly do to change this? This is often the question that people ask themselves when it comes to issues such as global warming. What many people don’t recognize is that every movement, group, or idea, is always started by one person and their willingness to speak out and start something amazing. We all know about global warming, and we all generally know that the effects are calamitous, however, when it comes to recent news media, there is not enough coverage considering how important this issue is. To help combat global warming you can invest in energy-efficient appliances, reduce waste by starting a compost bucket, and stop overconsumption of goods. These are just a couple of examples of ways in which we can help stop global warming, however, it is important to remember that this is a group effort. Having a mindset of ‘someone else will do it so I don’t need to” helps nobody! We have to remember, we all live here and work together as one. Humans have been the number one reason for the rapid rise in earth’s surface temperature and taking the first step is a fantastic way to join the movement. So, on that note, next time you are thinking about speaking out about global warming, or even doing something as small as starting a compost bin in your backyard, do it! You never know who is out there, and you may be the push somebody needs to start their own journey when it comes to tackling climate change!