By Maddie Thomas November 22, 2021
It's often the first topic mentioned when brainstorming topic ideas for a research project. Social commentators cite it as a reason (one of many) why many teens are anxious. It's always in the news, from the ocean on fire to the overuse of plastic straws to the youth-led Fridays For Future movement.
The environment is on everyone's minds--well, most people. At least, everyone who agrees with the scientifically sound conclusion that climate change 1) exists and 2) is caused by humanity's blunders. Young people are justifiably concerned. After all, we will be around to feel the longer-term consequences of climate change decades down the road. But are we doing enough? We preach environmentalism and recycling, sustainability and composting, but clearly, the status quo isn't working. We’ve already tried to implement showy, “band-aid” solutions like planting a tree once a year, abstaining from using straws, or even simply moving to other planets to escape our obligation to this one. It's time to stop blaming the failures of our climate policy on deniers of climate change and instead focus on political action to achieve real change.
First, those who can vote should do so. If you are a voter who believes our environment
needs our protection, you should vote for politicians who think the same. Research your choices ahead of time for every election, even the local ones. (I was a poll worker for this past election. In our polling location, the turnout was a measly 21% or so. This isn't just 21% of the whole population; it is 21% of registered voters. 79% of voters assigned to that polling location just didn't show up.) And this is a distinct problem for young voters in particular: According to the graph to the right from the US Election Project, voter turnout among younger Americans has been consistently lower, by a margin of at least 25% and usually even more than that. For young people, whose turnout is notoriously low in the best of times, being informed and involved is crucial for getting the policies we want.
Second, our solutions must be practical. Not all environmental solutions are feasible in the real world, even if they seem so in theory. Think about how expensive electric cars are. According to a report by the Anderson Economic Group released last month, the cost of driving 100 miles in an internal combustion engine vehicle (i.e. a regular gas car) is estimated to be about 9 to 12 dollars, while the cost of driving the same distance in an electric vehicle is closer to the 13 to 15 dollar range. The biggest cost, however, comes up-front. Electric cars cost almost $20,000 more to buy new compared to the cost of buying a new car in the United States overall. Not everyone can afford that! Being vegetarian or vegan is usually good for the environment- agriculture is a big producer of carbon emissions, especially for the United States with its high rate of meat consumption- but it's more expensive to eat healthy foods. You can get a whole meal from Wendy’s for $4 or $5, whereas assembling a healthy meal with fruits and vegetables for that same price would be almost unthinkable in the United States. Access, cost, and convenience are factors that need to be considered. Our environmental activism needs to find cheaper solutions. If you are interested in environmental science, do some research. Focus on what is attainable for the average person. If you aren't a science person, that's okay too! Think about what is achievable for you. Reduce meat in your diet. Use less electricity and water. Carpool. Whatever you can do, you should do (within your economic and practical capacity).
Third, we shouldn't stop at individual responsibility. Reducing, reusing, and recycling is imperative, but it won't solve the problem of climate change. According to a 2017 report from CDP and the Climate Accountability Institute, just one hundred fossil fuel producers were responsible for 71% of industrial greenhouse gas emissions from 1988 to 2017. Twenty-five of those companies produced 51% of industrial greenhouse gas emissions during that same interval. The EPA’s 2019 report on total US greenhouse gas emissions indicates that almost a quarter of these emissions were
produced by industry (see graph to the left).
Clearly, we should be finding ways to limit these
companies' emissions. Reasonable minds differ on the best way exactly to find a solution, but you don't get to help choose if you don’t vote. Fossil fuel companies aren't going to voluntarily reduce their profits by implementing expensive green solutions, so we need policies that will prioritize the environment over corporate greed.
Our planet is not doomed. We shouldn't skip ahead to establishing colonies on Mars just yet. If we focus on cost-effective, attainable solutions, we can slow the disastrous effects of our changing climate.