December 2012
With rising concerns about the detrimental impacts that
humans have had on the environment, and the effect that global climate change
will have on our future, it is easy to give in to feelings of hopelessness and
abandon any efforts to suppress further environmental degradation. Images of
receding glaciers and majestic species like polar bears losing their habitat
dominate media coverage of climate change. However, we cannot give up on trying
to combat or slow the impacts of global climate change. Although a serious
culture shift will require much effort and time, the future of our planet and
the well-being of our children and other generations are dependent on our
actions in the present. Over recent years, there have been a series of extreme
weather events hitting our countries, with Hurricane Sandy being the latest. These
occurrences, which have resulted in structural damage as well as numerous
mortalities, should serve as a call to action to address climate change. The
monetary and physical means needed to repair the damage caused by these weather
events are monumental, and if global climate change continues to progress at
the same rate, these costs will only escalate. It makes more sense to invest in
changes that will slow this destruction, rather than paying to clean up after
the fact.
The most compelling argument for seriously addressing the
issue of climate change is the fate of our future generations. The Iroquois
people based their decisions on the impact that it would have on not only the
present but also future generations, and these sense of accountability and
sustainability for coming generations has been lost.
Island nations are particularly vulnerable to the effects of
climate change. Rising sea levels threaten the homeland of millions of
individuals.
It is protecting the livelihood of future generations, and
preserving the cultures, species, and habitats under threat due to climate
change, that should motivate us to make serious strides to counteract the mounting
pressure of global climate change.
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