Yes, climate change effects are everywhere
– but we can respond!
Climate change can seem like an insurmountable problem. There are many, particularly those aged 16 to 25, who are experiencing climate change anxiety (also called climate doom, eco-grief, or eco-anxiety) to the point they are seeking professional help, and Harvard and Yale are studying the phenomena. Look at the past year: smoke from wildfires traveling to our area, a mild winter that left us with a snow drought, frequent windstorms causing property damage and power failures, and the seemingly constant rain we have experienced in the past several months which has led to flooding everywhere. You can see the signs of climate change easily. It might seem like you cannot do anything but look at these individuals who made significant contributions to improving the climate.
Individuals who made a positive impact for the environment
- Olga Huckins, who lived in Massachusetts and wrote a letter to a friend about the aerial spraying of DDT the state did on her property. That letter inspired the friend, biologist Rachel Carson, to write the book Silent Spring.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson who wrote the essay “Nature” which was the basis of the Transcendentalism movement and how nature helps the human soul.
- Dr. Seuss wrote The Lorax, one of the first children’s books dealing with the environment.
- Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, after seeing the damage done by an oil spill in Santa Barbara, CA, spearheaded the creation of Earth Day, April 22nd in 1970.
- Greta Thunberg, who at age 15, started skipping school to protest outside the Swedish parliament calling for more action on climate change. She inspired many students to voice their concerns.
- Former president Richard Nixon signed the Clean Air Act in 1970, the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Ocean Dumping Act in 1972, and the Endangered Species Act in 1973. He formed the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970 and the Environmental Policy Act which required environmental impact statements for many federal projects. Environmental groups consider Nixon second only to Teddy Roosevelt as the greenest presidents.
- Juliana v. United States. While Juliana is actually 21 young Americans, in 2015 they filed a constitutional climate lawsuit against the federal government. They say that the lack of action by the U.S. on climate is depriving their generation of the constitutional right to life, liberty, and property, as well as failed to protect essential public trust resources. It is important to note that the suit is still in the court system, because the Department of Justice has continually filed motions to stay.
You can make a positive difference to help the environment!
So, what can you do? We are not going to be able to undo some of the changes that are already occurring due to climate change, but we can all take small and large steps to do our part. Make more than April 22nd Earth Day, walk or bike rather than drive, pass along something you learn about the environment to someone in your social circle, plant some flowers, get involved. Will there be stumbles? Yes. Will there be mistakes? Yes. But do we have an alternative? No.
