Opinion

Humans cause climate change

Now, what can this generation do about it?

By Joshua Parda

Posted on Feb. 22, 2007, at 12:00 a.m.

A quick note to anyone who hasn’t been paying attention: The debate on global climate change is over. Scientists are now more than 90 percent sure that humans are causing climate change, as documented in the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report.

Let us absorb that term for a moment – climate change. “Global warming” is a misnomer of Biblical proportions. One of the great concerns over climate change is the variety of effects it has. For example: Some places see less precipitation, while neighbors experience more. One of the key dangers is the disruption of ocean currents, which could result in a sudden ice age. The key to climate change is understanding that it means long-term changes in how every natural system on the planet functions.

Then again, maybe Stephen Colbert is right when he says that climate change may be a good thing. Maybe rain will become chocolatey. Then again, he is joking. Yummy – chocolate rain.

Yes folks, the debates over what climate change is and what is causing it have ended. But a new debate that has been boiling under the surface burst through and entered into our less-than collective consciousness. Now we are debating who is most at fault and who should take action first.

The United States will not cut emissions because developing nations – for lack of a better term – are not required to under Kyoto. Developing nations will not make cuts because it would hinder their development and they think developed nations are better equipped to make the cuts. Europe says the United States is the largest polluter – which, by the way, it is, though China is quickly catching up – and can make the most impact. And the United States says it is already doing more than the European Union.

But the polluting continues. The fact of the matter is that this issue transcends party politics, national governments and regional cultures. It is a matter of ethics, not politics. Ethics and politics, however, rarely mix, which may be the crux of the problem. Further, it is not a problem that only affects distant parts of the world. Maine too will see the effects of climate change. Rising sea levels will flood large portions of Portland, Mount Desert Island, Bath and other coastal towns. If Greenland melts, which is likely, downtown Bangor will be under water. Consider as well that rising temperatures will hurt winter tourism, and rising sea levels could hurt summer tourism. Or that rising temperatures could bring in all sorts of invasive plants and insects that threaten human health and indigenous species, which are also huge parts of Maine’s economy. Various trees and moose, as well as other plants and animals, could all migrate north along with the dollars they create.

This is not a matter of fear mongering – it is practical reality. Rising temperatures will continue no matter what we do, but the worst consequences of our wasteful habits can be staved off with some adjustments to our daily lives. I don’t need to list them all off here; you already know what those changes are or can easily find them online – or in “Green Tips.” If anything is to change, it starts with our generation. Our parents have made it abundantly clear that they do not intend to address the problem. They would rather play the blame game.

Joshua Parda is student coordinator for the Green Campus Initiative.

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 22nd, 2007, 12:00 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.