Global Warming: Why change now?

Global Warming: Why change now?

By Klaire Nerdahl

Climate change is a very controversial topic for us now, and has been for years. There has been a very constant depletion in our environment due to harmful things we put into the environment. We are constantly driving our cars which lets out fossil fuels, partaking in deforestation to build new infrastructures and using air conditioners to keep us cold in the hot summer. However, these things are looked at as inelastic items to most people especially in the United States. What we don't know is that if we continue to use these items to the extent we are using them this will impact not only our health buy,our economy.

There has been a major depletion of the artic region around the north pole. The arctic region is home to over 4 million people, and species. Due to melting glaciers, rising temperatures, reduction on the thickness of sea ice and rising sea level these indegiounus people must find new places to live. This also means that those artic animals are struggling to survive since they live off of the land. This makes them choose the opportunity cost that they are willing to pay. Whether they decide to stay where they are living and have limited resources since animals are dying or completely move where they are living in order to survive.  

It is true that this is a very not thought about problem in our world today since we are not living in the artic. This may even be looked at as a negative externalities to people who are not living in this region of the world.

Until this problem faces privileged areas, like the United States, people will not worry about it. They will continue to do subtle yet harmful things to our environment. Even though this topic is very damaging to our environment there are ways that people can help. Some of these changes are looked at as very expensive or as elastic items. There are things that individuals can do that are not expensive, and not time consuming that can help to end global warming now before it impacts us. Such as, riding our bike to school, carpooling, turning off lights when you leave a room and even adjusting your thermostat. Doing one of the listed things before will be an opportunity cost to us now but will good for us in the near future.

Works Cited

"Arctic Climate Change." 2. How is the climate changing in the Arctic? N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2017.

"What causes climate change?" What's Your Impact. N.p., 01 June 2016. Web. 09 Mar. 2017.

"What YOU can do | Climate Change Education | Washington State Department of Ecology."   What YOU can do | Climate Change Education | Washington State Department of Ecology. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2017.