Climate Change Reflective Essay Example

Americans, what are we doing? We pride ourselves on having the highest GDP of any country in the world. We boast one of the best education systems in the world. We revel in being a world power, an influence around the globe, a leader among all nations. Yet, our strengths and achievements have made us entitled.

Because of our self-righteousness, we continually put ourselves above others. We ignore our part in the single most pressing issue; climate change. We ignore the fact that we have the fastest-growing fracking production industry. We ignore the fact that we use the second most fossil fuel worldwide. We ignore the fact that we have the sixth-highest number of endangered species worldwide. We ignore the fact that we emit the second most greenhouse gasses worldwide. The United States alone is responsible for 12.67 percent of global emissions. For a country that’s population only makes up 4.4 percent of the world population, this statistic should be humiliating. 

Climate change is increasing at an unprecedented rate. As of 2020, carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere have reached 415 parts per million (PPM), and only 23% of Earth’s wilderness remains. Climate change is destroying countless environments and leaving plants, animals, and insects with nowhere to go. Up to 200 species go extinct every 24 hours. We are watching nature and the beauty of our world disappear before our eyes every single day. The UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the latest UN IPCC report a “Code Red’ for humanity. 

So how can we get out of this disastrously deep hole we dug ourselves? You can act every day to lessen your carbon footprint. You can eat less meat, choose environmentally friendly transportation methods like bussing and biking or change to an electric car, throw away less food, use less energy at home, and become an active part of the movement to stop climate change.

I’m not claiming to be perfect. Perfection isn’t the expectation. We need awareness. People need to understand the tremendous threats we face and what we need to do to avoid this extinction event we have created. I understand how hard it can be to think, let alone talk about an issue of this magnitude. As Lewis Pugh said, this is the “Everest of all problems”. I still don’t think I can truly wrap my head around it. Despite that, I talk about it. I think about it. I care about it. I do what I can. And so should you. 

On a national level, we need to give the issue of climate change the spotlight. We need to be thinking and talking about it every day, all the time. To reduce our carbon footprint on a national level, the two most important things would be stopping deforestation and quickly converting to renewable energy. This would also mean in the near future cutting the usage of fossil fuels. There has been improvement at the federal level with the Biden administration funding programs directed at achieving their goal of being “100 percent carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035”. Re-joining the Paris Agreement was also a huge step forward after Trump’s presidency, and hopefully we can become an example for the world for climate action and progress.

I know that change itself is scary, but climate change is scarier. Like Mark Ruffalo said, “Climate change is the greatest threat to our existence in our short history on this planet.”  So please, do your part. Do the small things that can help us get out of the hole we find ourselves in. Maybe 100 years from now, our grandchildren and great-grandchildren will find themselves outside that hole, living sustainably on Earth and in harmony with nature.