Living in 2017, in comparison to how our ancestors lived, the quality of life has increased drastically due to discoveries and inventions that have developed from then to now. However, we have our own fears in the 21st century. We are constantly concerned with nuclear warfare, terrorism, and online hackers; and perhaps the most perilous problem we are facing is climate change. Climate change is becoming a more and more noticeable problem as humans continue about their daily lives. It is not a problem that is for one, or even a few countries to fix. Climate change will affect every human on the planet; it is the job of everybody to sustain the fertility of the planet for future generations. The current climate crisis is only intensifying, but politics and corporations seem to do everything but help the situation.

Climate change or global warming can be defined as: a long-term change in global or regional climate patterns, in particular a change apparent from the mid to late 20th century onwards and attributed largely to the increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels. Climate change has more effects rather than just warming the atmosphere. The effects include average temperatures and temperature extremes; timing and geographical patterns of precipitation; snowmelt, runoff, evaporation, and soil moisture; the frequency of disturbances, such as drought, insect and disease outbreaks, severe storms, and forest fires; atmospheric composition and air quality; and patterns of human settlement and land use change,” (Backlund, 14). These implications take major tolls throughout the ecosystems of the world. Essentially it is a snowball effect, in the sense that once the problem starts rolling, it builds momentum. Not in the sense of snow, because if the climate’s temperatures continue to increase, snow may no longer exist. Potentially the most frightening aspect is the disheveled future that will be left leave for forthcoming generations. The world needs action, immediate action; collective, immediate action.

Climate change is caused by abnormal amounts of carbon dioxide that is a byproduct produced when using fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are used almost every day by almost every human on the planet at a rate of about 97%. Carbon dioxide is a beneficial gas in the atmosphere because it traps heat and slows it down instead of it escaping. Without this carbon dioxide, Earth would simply be a frozen wasteland. The problem at hand is the fact that there is far too much carbon dioxide, trapping more heat than necessary, and potentially increasing the planet’s temperature to a dangerous level. Carbon dioxide and other gases that trap heat is known as greenhouse gases. Just like carbon, the other greenhouse gases can be good in moderation. The limit has been surpassed, and the effects are becoming clear. Humans have been producing carbon emissions for many centuries, and has only continued to grow in rate as more and more of the world modernizes. According to a worried father and scientist, Hugh Steadman, “mankind has pumped some 150 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Almost half that amount has been emitted since 2000, 9.9 billion tons of it in 2016 alone,” (19). With trends like this it is estimated that the average temperature of the globe will rise by two degrees Fahrenheit within the next twenty years. Two degrees does not sound like much, but on a global scale, two degrees makes a drastic and dangerous difference. 

Climate change is no longer a fear reserved for the future. It is very much an ongoing problem and will continue to be so. Observable and unmistakable ramifications are present. Climate change obviously affects the weather, and will continue to do so in many different ways. Polar ice caps have started to melt, causing sea levels to rise. The rise was slight, but can be linked to the historic flooding in New York and New Jersey during Hurricane Sandy. Within the melting oxygen, carbon dioxide was trapped. As the ice continues to melt, carbon dioxide slips into the atmosphere as well. The intense heatwaves occurring as a result of climate change may be easy to endure when indoors with air conditioning. But they are difficult to escape in underdeveloped areas lacking ample water supplies. Additionally, the heatwaves cause major droughts. The combination of fierce heat and dehydrating droughts has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths in South America and Africa alone. The sea level is currently rising at a rate of one foot per century. The rise is forcing property and business owners to protect their lands from coastal erosion, which is a very costly process. The rising rate is only gaining momentum. According to a New York Times article by Justin Gillis, “even if emissions stopped tomorrow, 15 or 20 feet of sea level rise is already inevitable… if emissions continue apace, the ultimate rise could be 80 or 100 feet.” This would lead to be catastrophic flooding of coastal towns and cities. Intensified storms are yet another dangerous effect of climate change. A prime example of this effect took place several months ago when the Southeast of the United states was devastated by category four hurricanes; Irma and Harvey. This is the first ever recording of two category four hurricanes to touch land in the same year, thus far recorded in American history. In this case, they were not the direct impact of climate change. However, many scientists agree that climate change enabled the storms to grow stronger than normal. The combination of higher sea levels and warmer oceans allowed for super storms to escalate into hurricanes that are much more powerful than they ever would’ve been in decades before.

Problems that are not seen now by many are still impending. Many of these future projections are far more severe than the current events. Since the weather seems to be constantly shifting from the normalities of nature, ecosystems are forced to rapidly change. The shift in conditions will collapse the fragile ecosystems of the world. Hugh Steadman brings to light a scary fact about our current situation and what it could mean, “During the past 200,000 or so years of homosapiens’ existence, CO, has fluctuated between about 180 ppm during ice ages and 280 ppm during interglacial warm periods. The vast majority of scientists who study this changing of the climate are agreed on cause and effect: that an increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere results in an increase in planetary temperatures. Currently, CO, levels are around 407 ppm. The last time they were at this level, about 3 million years ago, the sea-level was about 20 metres higher than it is today,” (19). Such drastic changes could very well wipe species of animals and plants to disappear into extinction. According to the U.S. Climate Change Program “Arid areas are very likely to experience increases erosion and fire risk. In arid ecosystems that have not coevolved with a fire cycle, the probability of loss of iconic, charismatic megaflora such as Saguaro cacti and Joshua trees will greatly increase.” All ecosystems have major services such as filtering water and air, but are quickly losing the ability to do so. Humans rely on the services presented by the ecosystems, that being said, humans and the resources they rely on for survival will be greatly affected too. Crops will be forced to grow in unfit conditions and farm animals will also live in conditions that they are not evolved enough to maintain homeostasis. The vast reservoir systems of the west will dry up and deplete, making delivering water an incredibly arduous task. Some of these events will be inevitable because such a large amount of damage has already occurred. Other events are hypothetical and very well could occur if measures are not taken in an adequate time frame. 

Large corporations are some of the largest producers of greenhouse gases. They emit high levels of gases, and some even go as far as to lying about climate change to maximize profits. The result of the 2016 PwC annual CEO survey, shows that climate change is not listed as any key organizational goals or top strategic priorities. A perfect example of large corporations twisting facts fell into the hands of Exxon Mobil this past year: “knew as far back as 1977 that their operations contribute directly to global warming and yet have purposefully orchestrated ‘campaigns of disinformation’ to the contrary for decades,” (Eckardt, Mazutis, 75). Another prime example of corporations lacking the morale and ethical code was exposed when Volkswagen was exposed for falsifying emissions tests on their diesel vehicles. The tests were recorded at about 15 to 40 percent below the actual scores. Such manipulation led to, “nearly one million extra tons of nitrogen oxide released than previously thought,” (Eckardt, Mazutis, 75). Major global corporations are not all pitfalls filled with heinous intentions of maximizing profits. There are also major companies that have a drive to become or act ecofriendly. Some of these companies include Nike, Google, Amazon, Patagonia, and New Belgium Brewing. These companies are transitioning to become “green thumbed” for the sake of the planet. Unfortunately, the chance for profit, in a lot of cases, outweighs the choice to be ecofriendly. Many large businesses prefer to operate in an easier and more profitable way, despite of the environment around them that is being affected. Eco-friendly corporations will be crucial in revitalizing and sustaining the ecosystems of the world. 

Politics like to stick its dagger-like teeth into anything it has the ability to grab at. Climate change is another topic to fall victim to the vice of the political jaws. Unfortunately, there is a divide among parties when climate change is discussed. The Democratic party generally tends to lean towards climate change being a major problem that needs immediate action taken regarding it, whereas the Republican party generally claims that climate change is a hoax. Despite the seemingly concrete evidence and statistics supporting the realities of climate change, many dismiss it as a hoax created by the Chinese to gain an economic edge. This seems like a rather foolish reason because China is building the world's first pollution eating “forest city”. Politics even affects the President’s take on the matter, as President Trump claims truthfulness behind the Chinese hoax claim. Being that Donald Trump is the President, the shadow of his influence casts far and wide across the country, forming false opinions. A form of subconsciously sweeping the problem under the rug employed by government officials is framing. With framing, a phrase can be reworded to a less intimidating version. For instance, according to CNN, “In the Trump administration's list of dos and don'ts, "climate change" is out and "resilience" is in.” Politics clamped down even harder this year when President Trump selfishly pulled America out of the Paris Agreement. His reasoning was that the United States was not getting a good enough deal out of the agreement. The Paris Agreement, which took years to conceive, is an agreement between 199 (200 when including the US) countries to drastically limit emissions. Almost every country in the world agreed to do what it takes to change the harmful ways we live to preserve the earth and prevent future problems. According to Trump, America was not getting a good deal so he made the decision to withdraw. Sustaining the world was not worth losing economic status apparently. This rash decision left many American citizens up in arms. Just as politics seems to be loosening its grip, it sunk its teeth even further down. Large corporations get involved with politics, misinforming the public, and hiding actuality from them too. This is because in result they are making more money. Then the large companies have enough economic pull to reshape policies, allowing for more pollution. Most of these companies are centered around fossil fuels and need access to the resources to thrive. Rules are bent in efforts to make room for the porcine companies. It is politics that leads to figures like this: “63% of all industrial anthropogenic carbon and methane emissions to just 90 companies, 83 of which were oil, gas, and coal companies,” (Eckardt, Mazutis, 78). Politics is an unforgiving beast in which corruption is disguised.

Climate change is already in motion, and only growing to become a greater dilemma. Many of the current symptoms are irreversible at this point. That is not to say just give up. Action is needed to prevent from further repercussions of climate change. This generation is too aware of the major crisis to let it go unfought. The Paris Agreement is the most success humankind has achieved thus far. The countries, which is almost every country in the world, within the agreement have all agreed to cut their emissions gradually over time. Some countries are taking matters into their own hands by declaring major switches from gas and diesel-powered cars to electric cars. This is thanks to improve electric car technologies. The New York Times also both showed and suggested “the warming will slow to a potentially manageable pace only when human emissions are reduced to zero. The good news is that they are now falling in many countries as a result of programs like fuel-economy standards for cars, stricter building codes and emissions limits for power plants.” As countries start to slowly shift to alternative energy sources, millions of cubic feet of carbon will be saved from drifting into the atmosphere. Alternative sources include hydroelectric energy, solar energy, wind energy, biomass energy, geothermal energy and tidal power. As time goes on, these technologies are improved upon making them cheaper and more efficient. Billions of dollars in research are funded for the alternative energy sources. Technology is fighting its way to the top of the economic food chain. It is estimated that the market for these technologies will replace fossil fuel as king of energy producers in the marketplace. Solar industries already employ twice as many workers as the coal industry. Hindering the progress of climate change is not a responsibility solely for governments to address. The alternative energy sources are creating many new jobs, and thus stimulating the economy. It is a problem that everyday folks can contribute to fixing in able to collectively make a difference. It all starts with positive attitudes and action. Former MLB player, The Chicken Man, the man who managed to guzzle down an astounding 107 beers in a day, Wade Boggs has an influential take on taking action, “A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events and outcomes. It is a catalyst and it sparks extraordinary results.”

As explained in depth, there is currently a crisis involving every inhabitant on earth ranging from humans to coral. Mankind has bitten the hand that fed it, badly. Climate change is a very serious matter that will test mankind's ability to unify and solve a problem that they created. It is up to current and future generations and their technologies to rectify the situation. The road to recovery is a very long path that will span over the decades to come. The road is full of intricate twists and turns designed by our government, and misleading road signs sponsored by large corporations. It is a burdensome road, but mankind will efficiently just drive an electric car right on down the road. 

 