Change Your World Week Fall 2021 (Archived)

     Greenhouse gases are gases in Earth's atmosphere that trap heat and are used for a variety of functions such as transportation, electricity, industry, and agriculture. They may be effective for these particular commodities, but they are one of the main causes of climate change and the usage of these gases is accelerating climate change at a rate faster than expected. This is a problem that affects individuals all around the United States and can only be lessened by a full-fledged effort from citizens nationwide. 

     One of the most common misconceptions about climate change is that it won't affect people in this day and age, so there is no problem using greenhouse gases at whatever rate is necessary. However, this is not true because there are many consequences of climate change happening right now including rising temperatures and worsening air quality. According to the United Nation, the temperature increase for this century will be well over the expectations set by the Paris Climate Accord, and the carbon dioxide levels have not been as high as they are now in over 3,000,000 years. Carbon dioxide accounts for 80% of greenhouse gases and is the main gas that causes a rise in temperature. This shows that humans using greenhouse gases is directly correlated to climate change and is having detrimental effects on the health and safety of people right now. Moreover, the EPA conducted a study reporting that 68 million tons of pollution were emitted into the air by way of greenhouse gases in 2019. High levels of pollution mean poorer air quality and a higher likelihood that people obtain respiratory diseases.

     To make matters worse, according to the National Institute of Health, mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue fever are reported to be worsened because of global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions. Nearly half a million people have already been exposed to climate-related diseases with the biggest being the zika virus in Brazil. If nothing is done, this problem will continue to get worse and affect even more people.

 While it is common knowledge that greenhouse gases do have a harmful effect on the climate, many people are not in favor of policies to reduce emissions because of the changes that might come about. After all, climate change does not really have a huge impact on most people in the United States. Most people with jobs and families are trying to make a living and do not want to have to do deal with hindrances to the regular way of living. Moreover, there is a good chunk of people who are perfectly fine with the way things are working such as planes, vehicles, pipelines, etc.

            In addition, with the reduction of greenhouse gases, the government is going to have a heavy role by way of restrictions and regulations. According to Reuters, in a policy of President Biden to stop the production of the Keystone XL Pipeline, over 11,000 jobs were lost. This is just a small part of his ambitious climate agenda.  With more policies put in place, it is likely that more hard-working Americans will be out of a job. A common theme of America’s traditions and values is freedom and these climate policies could possibly be viewed as anti-freedom and tyrannical. After all, who is the government to tell the citizens whether or not they can work their pipeline construction job. Furthermore, the government would most likely also be enforcing Americans to drive certain types of cars. In another article produced by Reuters, they state that the government is trying to switch over to electric cars by the year 2030. This may sound good, but many people would argue that it should be up to the free market to make this decision. If car producers want to switch over to electric cars, the consumers would most likely support this decision and be fine with it, but it leaves people uneasy to have the government determine what kind of cars they are driving.

            Overall, greenhouse gas emissions do not have such an impact on people’s lives that they feel that it is necessary to make drastic changes to society. If the free market determines that we should switch over to cleaner energy, people of all sides of the political spectrum will probably support that. However, there are quite a few people that feel like government programs are a waste of money and destined to fail.

     Greenhouse gas emissions are something that puts a lot of people at danger and is widely acknowledged as being an existential threat. Despite this acknowledgment, there is still not enough being done to control the emissions to the levels that would create a better climate for people today and people in the future. This is in large part because of the stakeholders responsible for allowing the production of greenhouse gas emissions

     The main stakeholder that is responsible for the emissions of greenhouse gases are the large fossil fuel companies. According to The Guardian, a news organization dedicated to climate change, just 100 companies produce 71% of all greenhouse gas emissions. The reason why these companies produce so much greenhouse gases is because it would not be beneficial for them to make drastic changes to their products, whether it’s industry, transportation, electricity, or agriculture. It is up to the people to push back on these companies and demand that they make changes. Without creating an equal power relationship with these companies, they will control all the power and continue to produce greenhouse gases without any consequences.

     Another stakeholder is the government on a federal, state, and local level. Out of the three, the federal government has the most power and has the most resources to prevent the major greenhouse gas producers from hurting the climate. One thing that they can do is create more regulations through the EPA that would make it so the major companies would eventually have to switch to a cleaner energy source. Also, they could be in climate agreements like they are right now with the Paris Climate Accord. Moreover, the state and local government can also advocate for cleaner energy by creating incentives for using cleaner energy, enacting climate programs, and state regulations for clean energy. Overall, the government is going to have to be heavily involved in making major changes if there is going to be a decrease in the greenhouse gas levels.

     Last but not least, the American people are a stakeholder. By electing people who are proactive and passionate about preventing climate change, better public policy will be created that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Also, through way of interest groups with strong support, the government can be pushed into supporting the reduction of the emissions. Ultimately, it’s up to the people on whether or not changes will be made.

In order to combat the emission of greenhouse gases that can affect climate change, we can do many different things. First, we can start advocating for car companies to start producing fewer gasoline cars, and start producing more electric cars. Another method we could use is instead of using trucks to deliver packages, and other items, we could instead use trains via railroad. If we start introducing these two policies, it could potentially create a change in how much pollution is emitted into the air and how the climate can realign back to normal.

If car companies start to produce fewer gasoline cars, and make more that are electric-powered, it will stop a huge amount of pollution that is affecting the earth today. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from transportation account for about 29 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, making it the largest contributor in the U.S (epa.gov). This is why, instead of producing gasoline cars, the government should start advocating for car companies to make more electric cars. If most of us used electric cars, it would be much better for the economy, which would also reduce the GHG emissions drastically. If this worked, we could eventually even get rid of most gas stations, and instead, replace them with charging stations for all the new cars. Another way to reduce the pollution from the cars, is to start delivering packages and shipping items by rail. According to “Norfolk Southern” “Shipping by rail instead of truck lowers carbon emissions by 75% on average, relieves traffic congestion, and reduces wear on public infrastructure.” (Norfolk Southern). This is huge for the environment. If we started doing this, instead of using trucks then the environment would be a lot healthier, and the climate would start to stabilize.

Consider supporting these organizations in taking a stand against this issue.

Clean Air Task Force- An organization dedicated to achieving zero emissions at an affordable cost. They support having peoples' energy needs met without damaging the environment.

https://www.catf.us/

NextGen America- A group of passionate young voters who support reducing greenhouse gas emissions and encourage people to get out and vote.

https://nextgenamerica.org/who-we-are/

Moms Clean Air Force- A group of over one million moms and dads who are concerned about air pollution and want their children to live in a climate where they can breathe air.

https://www.momscleanairforce.org/

Another way to help is by writing to your elected officials and advocating for them to support the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Also, you can vote for and support candidates who support this issue.

US EPA. “Air Quality - National Summary.” US EPA, 26 May 2021, www.epa.gov/air-trends/air-quality-national-summarycent

Neuman, Scott. “Greenhouse Gas Levels Reached Record High in 2020, Even with Pandemic Lockdowns.” NPR, 21 Oct. 2021,

www.npr.org/2021/10/25/1048960283/greenhouse-emissions-reached-record-levels-in-2020.

Nickel, Rod Valerie Volcovici. “TC Energy Cuts Jobs as Keystone Pipeline Nixed, but Markets Start to Move On.” U.S., 21 Jan. 2021,

        www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-biden-keystone/tc-energy-cuts-jobs-as-keystone-pipeline-nixed-but-markets-start-to-move-on-idUSKBN29Q1T8.

“The Effect of Global Warming on Infectious Diseases.” PubMed Central (PMC), NIH, 1 Dec. 2010, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3766891/#:%7E:text=The%20major%20mosquito%2Dborne%20infectious,%2C%20and%20tick%2Dborne%20encephalitis.

Shepardson, David. “Biden Vows to Replace U.S. Government Fleet with Electric Vehicles.” U.S., 26 Jan. 2021, www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-biden-autos/biden-vows-to-replace-u-s-government-fleet-with-electric-vehicles-idUSKBN29U2LW.

Riley, Tess. “Just 100 Companies Responsible for 71% of Global Emissions, Study Says.” The Guardian, 25 Aug. 2021, www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2017/jul/10/100-fossil-fuel-companies-investors-responsible-71-global-emissions-cdp-study-climate-change.

EPA. “Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions and Removals.” US EPA, 26 Oct. 2021, www.epa.gov/ghgemissions.

“Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions.” US EPA, 27 July 2021, www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions

“Sustainability.” Norfolk Southern, 2021, www.nscorp.com/content/nscorp/en/about-ns/sustainability.html.