Take politics out of the climate

Hannnah Lee, News Editor

Climate change is a scientifically proven idea, yet many still refute  even the existence of it. It has become less of an environmental subject over the years, taking on the role of a political debate. NASA’s extensive research concluded  that climate change is an undeniable issue, yet it continues to be  brushed off by many politicians.

If politicians were not so distracted by the existence of climate change or not, they would have the potential to bring light to the situation and take measures to improve it. Yet, many still refuse to believe in the extensive scientific proof.

What politicians need to recognize is that they are not scientists; they need to recognize that scientists are experts in their field and to simply go against their research and conclusions is irrational. It is a politician’s duty to respond to these conclusions and cooperate to improve the situation by creating beneficial large scale programs, not refute the facts and deny it simply with words.

It is indisputable that an increasing amount of greenhouse gases inevitably causes our planet to respond by increasing its overall temperature. From sea levels rising and warming oceans to glacial retreats and decreased snow cover, it is difficult to ignore the major effects of climate change.

There is no question that climate change is not at the top of many Americans’ priority list, many remaining quiet about it. During the 2016 presidential election, Quinnipiac University reported that a mere six percent of Americans reported climate change as the most important issue in deciding their vote.

President Donald Trump’s recent executive order to unwind President Obama’s previous climate change legacy is detrimental to every aspect of the issue. It is further diminishing the severity of this very real crisis, giving the wrong message to Americans that it is not a legitimate priority that affects the world.

Trump’s reasoning follows the idea that measures on clean energy are taking away jobs, specifically coal mining. According to Vox, there are 50,000 Americans mining coal for a living, but in the grand scheme of things, it does not fall anywhere near the 260,000 Americans working in the solar industry. Yes, Trump is saving jobs— jobs that cause an array of health problems every year to its employees and simultaneously takes away jobs from a larger industry.

Meanwhile, Russia is warming up nearly twice as fast as its neighbors. In response to this, Vladimir Putin stated that climate change is benefitting the economy, with the melting ice making more physical room for more potential “economic opportunities,” again giving people a false sense of reality by dumbing down the criticality of the situation.

While American politicians are bickering about the existence of climate change, other countries are  working toward solving the issue. The European Union s aiming to cut emissions 20 percent below 1990 levels, and Canada pledged to cut emissions by 17 percent from 2005 emissions, while the U.S. failed to pass a bill to cut emissions by 17 percent by 2020.

Pew Research Center reported that in 2015, only 14 percent of conservative Republicans viewed global warming as a serious issue and only 22 percent of Republicans placed the blame on human activity, while 76 percent of liberal Democrats viewed it as a serious issue and 64 percent of Democrats placed the blame human activity.

This shows just how climate change has grown to be a political issue; a clear divide can be seen between the parties heavily leaning toward one side.

With natural disasters such as floods and wildfires erupting as a result  of climate change, the topic should not be a point-of-view, but rather a factual crisis that we should be concerned about and actively fighting against.