Global Warming: Our Planet, Our Responsibility

By Kathleen Mucci

“This is the moment when we must come together to save this planet. Let us

resolve that we will not leave our children a world where the oceans rise and famine

spreads and terrible storms devastate our lands,” Barack Obama. This quote is taken

from his speech in July, 2008 about global warming. Global warming by definition is “ an

increase in the earth's atmospheric and oceanic temperatures widely predicted to occur

due to an increase in the greenhouse effect resulting especially from pollution”.Global

warming was an issue 13 years ago when Obama gave this speech and it continues to

be an issue today with both sides of the political party trying to make their case for why

global warming is happening. While the debate continues, our planet continues to have

drastic weather changes. Whether you believe global warming is an immediate threat or

one that is used to create panic, the responsibility to try and correct the problem lies

with every person living on our planet. The authors used in this essay will help explain

the differences of the intricate picture of global warming.

The lack of progress in the fight of global warming has propelled this issue to the

forefront for this generation. In Naomi Klein’s essay, “We are the Wildfire” How to Fight

Climate Crisis'', she touches upon a day in March 2019, that approximately “1.6 million

young people(296)” led a student strike in many parts of the country marching for

recognition of our climate crisis. The powerful student strike ironically coincided with the

impact of Cyclone Idai which was “one of the worst storms in Africa’s history(295).”
Extreme weather such as Cyclone Idai is more and more common as the warmer ocean

temperatures cause storms to be intensified. The realization that this is now our battle

that was started decades ago with no real plan in place to combat the changes in our

environment is a very sobering thought. Younger generations are forced to step up to a

fight that the young people of this generation did not start. They have realized that it is

“not a future threat, but a lived reality(295)” that cannot be ignored.The words “climate

change” have been in our vocabulary “for more than three decades(295)” This is a

revealing fact of the denial of a situation that is not going away. “Oceans are warming

40% faster than the United Nations predicted”(295) previously. The United Nations

warned “ that a million species of animals and plants are at risk of extinction...we have

lost time. We must act now(295).” These facts are not lost to a generation that is yelling

“fire(297)”. Younger politicians are being elected while bringing awareness to the crisis

of global warming. “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who, at 29, became the youngest woman

ever elected to US Congress(300)” used the “Green New Deal(300)”, an environmental

platform, as one of the issues she was backing while running for office.

While the younger generation has taken up the fight of climate change,

arguments along political lines tend to derail the enacting of policies geared towards

solutions. A lot of conservative politicians believe that global warming has been a ploy

by its supporters to make the American people turn against anyone who opposes their

policies. According to Dan Crenshaw in “It’s Time for Conservatives to Own the

Climate-Change Issue”, this is “an interesting political tactic often employed by the

Left(303)” He believes that conservatives should come up with their own policies to

“fight back against the alarmism with tangible solutions based on reason, science, and
the free market (304).” Crenshaw believes that “the Green New Deal(305)” would “crush

our economy(305) while proposing the “New Energy Frontier(305)” which “focuses

specifically on carbon capture(305).” He points to the fact that “the notion of focusing on

what works has been lost in the conversation(306).” Deciding “what works(306)” and the

root of how global warming started seems to be the problem. Learning as much as we

can about global warming is key to overcoming obstacles put in place to stymie

progress made to this point. Climate stability should be the goal. Crenshaw’s arguments

and the arguments of Klein have helped highlight the complicated picture.

While politicians attempt to advance their own agendas, both companies and

individuals are doing their part to try and correct the problem. According to Alice Chen

and Vivek Murthy in “Should We be More Optimistic about Fighting Climate Change?”,

we have made “progress since scientists first sounded the alarm on climate

change(313)”. Walmart is doing their part by launching “Project Gigaton(313)” which is

aimed at “reducing greenhouse gas emissions(313).” Other large companies, such as

Tide, have “reformulated their laundry detergent to clean well in cold water(314).” Not

only are we seeing initiative from large corporations, we are seeing progress from “the

private sector(314).” “In the US, more than 100 cities and 8 states plus the District of

Columbia have committed to 100% renewable energy(314).” Other countries have

made their own efforts from “solar power(314)” to “geothermal sources(314).” These

hopeful accomplishments help us see that turning our attention to possible solutions

and not fighting about who came up with them, is the key to combating this issue. After

all, rising sea levels, melting glaciers, and famine are issues that all people and

organizations have a vested interest in stopping. Many times, people think that one
person cannot change something as serious as the effects of global warming. If every

person would do their part in making even small changes, the trickle down effect could

snowball into massive changes. It’s the average person recycling and bringing

awareness to climate change that will spur our government into action.

Whatever your political affiliation, the concern for the future of the planet needs to

be in the forefront. It is easy to get overwhelmed by the huge responsibility of this global

crisis, but we all share the responsibility to help change it. By putting our egos in check

and adopting the right attitude, we can all work together to bridge the gap between

differing opinions and have the justice that our environment deserves. The rainbow of

hope can be seen in companies and individuals who “adopt solutions that are working

and improve upon them(318)”. Klein, Crenshaw, Chen, and Murthy have helped bring

awareness to the problem of Global warming by their informative essays.

Works Cited

Chen, Alice. “Should We Be More Optimistic about Fighting Climate Change.”

They Say/ I Say, edited by Vivek Murthy, W. W. Norton & Company, pp. 309–319.

Crenshaw, Dan. “It's Time for Conservatives to Own the Climate-Change Issue.”

They Say/I Say, W.W. Norton & Company, pp. 303–307.

“Global Warming.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster,

www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/global%20warming.
Klein, Naomi. “‘We Are the Wildfire’ How to Fight the Climate Crisis.” They Say/ I

Say, W.W. Norton & Company, pp. 294–301.