Climate change: is it natural and unchangeable, or are we at fault for killing the environment?
NASA shows us that the earth’s climate is in a constant state of change. In the past, the earth has had times where it has been warmer or cooler than it is now. These times of change can and have lasted anywhere from thousands to millions of years at a time.
According to NASA, scientists in the past century have found that the earth’s temperature has gone up one degree fahrenheit. To some, this might not sound like a big deal, but it has caused many environmental issues. These issues include ice and snow melting in some regions, and season and plant growth patterns to change.
Yes, it is true, the earth’s climate can change all on it’s own. These natural changes can be caused by ocean patterns, and sun energy and distance changes.
However, humans certainly contribute to global warming. The Association for Behavior Analysis International shows that we have in fact tipped the scales. We are excessive with our green house gases: our constant use of machines, cars, gas and covering our earth with huge amounts of waste is affecting the planet. NASA says that all of our coal, gas and oil gets pumped into our ecosystem, raising temperatures in the air and in the earth.
We, the University Journal Editorial Board, agree we all need to take responsibility for our contribution to this increasingly noticeable issue. Globally, we need to come together. The world has many great minds and innovators. We need to come together, pulling our resources, doing our best to fix some of these issues.
But what do we do in the meantime? Members of the Editorial Board move past the little things. We all start practicing conservative lifestyles, we plant trees, turn off the water when brushing our teeth and we start walking to class.
By Savannah Palmer
and University Journal Editorial Board
opinion@suunews.com
