Over the past few years, climate change has risen as a prominent issue in today’s society. With global temperatures rising, icecaps and glaciers are melting, sea levels are rising, there is an increased number of droughts, and storms have become all the more severe. In particular, hurricanes, who is based off weather and climate, have grown in both power and number. It’s vital to raise awareness about global warming and the negative effects climate change is having on our planet.

Carbon emissions is a major cause of climate change and also has effects on humans. In fact, if were to reduce these emissions by nearly 10%, we could save nearly 100,000 premature deaths and $500 billion, according to the World Health Organization. Certain countries must be targeted over others. Asia, in particular, has had the largest increase in carbon emissions recently, and a result, there should be a greater emphasis in that region of the world.

Moreover, there is promising hope for the future. By looking at companies that focus on sustainability, one can notice a sudden spike in the amount of money they are generating. This means that companies that focus on sustainability are growing at more rapid rates compared to other companies, according the United Nations. In fact, since 2005, the top 80 renewable power companies in the world have increased their market share by nearly 4 times, from $50 billion to $200 billion. This shows great signs for the future of climate change.

I, myself, am working with the New Jersey Environmental Club Alliance as a co-founding member to help raise awareness. We work with clubs from different high schools and universities to help build a coalition that can work together to pass the Green Amendment. I’ve also become involved with the International Union of Geological Sciences as a Young Reporter in order to further spread awareness through both articles and videos. We must come to realize, though, that awareness is the first step in driving change. Once people understand the issue, we can finally have the opportunity to solve this issue.

Sources:

https://www.un.org/en/chronicle/article/business-and-climate-change-rising-public-awareness-creates-significant-opportunity

https://www.who.int/europe/activities/raising-awareness-on-climate-change-and-health

https://energsustainsoc.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13705-022-00334-8