The issue of climate change and its increasing effect it has on the world is very alarming. The more I have done research on this topic the more I have realized that what we do as individuals, communities, and nations as a whole have an enormous impact on what it does to our world.
Climate change has always been an issue that is often placed on the back burner in the political sphere here in the United States of America. There have been other nations that have made progessive policy towards slashing their pollution contribution such as the United Kingdom. The major difference between our neighbor across the pond is that the oil companies are roughly about 9 percent of the US GDP which is a major contribution to the US economy especially from just one industry.
The reason behind why these industries have a large impact on the US is because top oil companies such as Exxonmobil, Shell, and Chevron have an iron grip on policy making by making very generous contributions to political figures that advocate for these oil companies needs. Another way that these large corporations advocate for themselves by spending over millions of dollars in lobbying.
While the main adversary for these oil companies are the youth and alternative energy companies. An example of a youth advocate for climate change is a young girl by the name of Greta Thunberg who gave an emotional and powerful speech at the UN meeting. This young girl has rallied and has made world leaders aware of how she feels and how the youth feel about this pressing issue and the alarming consequences that climate change has brought.
Luckily not all is grim in the world and there is some hope for this world. Here in the United States of America there is some hope not at the nation level, but at the state level. With states such as Oregon and New York who have reduced their carbon footprint. This has led to other states to follow this model and policy. Leading to a brighter and healthier future for the generations to come.
https://www.un.org/youthenvoy/environment-climate-change/
I thought it was interesting when you said,”…industries have a large impact on the US is because top oil companies such as ExxonMobil, Shell, and Chevron have an iron grip on policy making by making very generous contributions to political figures that advocate for these oil companies needs”. This caught my eye because its true. Many politicians don’t believe in climate change even though its been occurring for years. When the topic is brought about, politicians don’t talk about climate change because, like you said, they’re being supported by big oil companies. If those politicians made a change they would no longer get their paychecks and politicians would be messing with a billion dollar industry that millions depend on.
https://video.vice.com/en_us/video/our-rising-oceans/566f4ac7172bc273142131fd – Here’s a documentary you and others may be interested. It speaks about the environments, politicians, and the history of climate change.
I agree wholeheartedly that climate change is a serious problem. It has been placed on the back burner for years, but seems to have come into fruition only recently. It goes without saying that climate change is something everyone should care about as this is a topic that affects the public health and the overall well-being of people on Earth. Not to mention, climate change affects the environment as well as many species have been endangered or extinct due to its effects. The United States should emulate the actions of the United Kingdom by reducing their gas emissions and spread awareness about climate change like Greta Thunberg to use your examples. Overall, this was a very informative article and you had a well-written transition at the end towards the positive aspects. Even though there is much distress in the world due to climate change, there is still hope for the future.
Hi Jamie, I agree with you fully, pollution is an enormous problem that can and has had detrimental effects on our environment. I feel like it is a problem that we should talk about more and figure out solutions for. The part about big oil companies giving contributions to political leaders and spending millions on lobbyists. I mean, I guess it makes sense but it goes to show how money can manipulate our countys future.
I completely agree that climate change is an issue we must pay attention to. While we as individuals and communities can do important things like recycle or ride a bike, I believe massive change has to come from industries changing and being willing to create incentives that punish or help large corporations to evening out their carbon footprint. Unfortunately, I don’t know if large industries would buy into this because it could cut profits for them.