Why do We Continue to Ignore Global Warming?
BY ANDONI ZERVOGLOS '22
It’s no surprise that global warming is a real issue. Like COVID-19, it’s been here for a while. However, there’s no easy fix, and the problem is only escalating. The 2020 US hurricane season has been record-breaking, with over thirty named tropical storms, $40.26 billion in damage, and around 400 casualties. According to the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, wildfires scorched 8,719,721 acres across the West Coast as of November 9th, generating enough smoke to be visible from the East.
Climate change has vastly impacted both the economy and human life. Our planet is sick, and our neglect will ultimately kill it. When these facts are apparent, why do we continue to overlook global warming? In politics, business, and everyday life, ignoring global warming comes from a false feeling that the solution is worse than the problem.
One example of purposeful political ignorance stands out. On June 1st, 2017, President Donald Trump announced his intentions to exit the Paris Climate Accord, a multinational effort to mitigate climate change by maintaining warming below a 3.6˚F increase from pre-industrial times. The 196 participating countries agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Given that the country contributes 14% of global emissions, the US would have to drastically cut back on the fossil fuels powering its economy, which upset some American politicians, including Trump. In his speech, he dropped a bombshell, stating that “as of [June 1st, 2017], the United States will cease all implementation of the non-binding Paris Accord and the draconian financial and economic burdens the agreement imposes on our country.” He went on to denounce the Green Climate Fund for “costing the United States a vast fortune.”
Interestingly, his contempt is never directed at the actual idea of climate protection, but instead at the Paris Accord’s negative economic impacts. As a pro-business politician, Trump criticizes those who advocate cutting emissions to limit global rising temperatures. These changes would hurt manufacturing, leading to losses of jobs, exports, and money, and ultimately damaging conservative politicians’ chances for re-election. If it was possible to resolve global warming without negative economic effects, politicians would be all over it. But as long as the solution appears to harm more people, politicians like Trump will continue to ignore global warming, turn away from the turbulent hurricanes of the world's climate problems, and look instead to the calm seas of economic stability.
Like politicians, businesses have their own views on climate change. Companies such as BP and Johnson and Johnson embrace the green movement and are actively implementing environmentally-friendly policies. Unfortunately, most large coal and oil companies seemingly have no qualms destroying the Earth we live on, as they prioritize profit over preserving the environment. Emission goals would mandate major cuts on their exports, greatly reducing gains. Further, energy companies forced to use alternate energy sources would have to pay absurd amounts of money to rebuild their plants and meet new green regulations. The effect these environmental regulations would have on coal, oil, and gas industries are catastrophic, as their source of revenue would vanish. If a company already has means of energy production, why would they pay for new clean energy implementation methods? Like politicians, large corporations see more harm in going green than not.
Though the public has criticized these corporations, their calls are nowhere near enough. According to Pew Research Center, only ⅔ of Americans say the government should be doing more to protect the environment. Indeed, a significant portion of U.S. citizens are ambivalent or even support the nation’s self-destructive environmental policies. According to the same study, merely 22% of Americans feel seriously affected by climate change, while 77% either feel slightly impacted or not impacted at all. For that 77%, it’s reasonable that they are reluctant to uproot their lives for something they feel unthreatened by. Going green would force many people to be conscious of their water usage and waste production, and switch their energy sources. This transition would cost a lot, and in the face of a seemingly insignificant threat, it looks like a lot of unnecessary work.
In politics, business, and the public alike, people choose to ignore global warming because they feel that the cure is worse than the disease. Whether there is a general feeling that stopping global warming will cost jobs and money, or because transitioning to green energy seems generally inconvenient, reform appears harder and more costly than simply ignoring the issue. Still, all the people who have lost homes, lives, and family understand the real cost of climate change and push the government to find a solution no matter the cost. I do not know where the world is headed. I do not know when we will start working together to cure this global disease, but I am certain of one thing: in the end, nothing is of more importance than the inhabitants of this planet.
Climate change has vastly impacted both the economy and human life. Our planet is sick, and our neglect will ultimately kill it. When these facts are apparent, why do we continue to overlook global warming? In politics, business, and everyday life, ignoring global warming comes from a false feeling that the solution is worse than the problem.
One example of purposeful political ignorance stands out. On June 1st, 2017, President Donald Trump announced his intentions to exit the Paris Climate Accord, a multinational effort to mitigate climate change by maintaining warming below a 3.6˚F increase from pre-industrial times. The 196 participating countries agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Given that the country contributes 14% of global emissions, the US would have to drastically cut back on the fossil fuels powering its economy, which upset some American politicians, including Trump. In his speech, he dropped a bombshell, stating that “as of [June 1st, 2017], the United States will cease all implementation of the non-binding Paris Accord and the draconian financial and economic burdens the agreement imposes on our country.” He went on to denounce the Green Climate Fund for “costing the United States a vast fortune.”
Interestingly, his contempt is never directed at the actual idea of climate protection, but instead at the Paris Accord’s negative economic impacts. As a pro-business politician, Trump criticizes those who advocate cutting emissions to limit global rising temperatures. These changes would hurt manufacturing, leading to losses of jobs, exports, and money, and ultimately damaging conservative politicians’ chances for re-election. If it was possible to resolve global warming without negative economic effects, politicians would be all over it. But as long as the solution appears to harm more people, politicians like Trump will continue to ignore global warming, turn away from the turbulent hurricanes of the world's climate problems, and look instead to the calm seas of economic stability.
Like politicians, businesses have their own views on climate change. Companies such as BP and Johnson and Johnson embrace the green movement and are actively implementing environmentally-friendly policies. Unfortunately, most large coal and oil companies seemingly have no qualms destroying the Earth we live on, as they prioritize profit over preserving the environment. Emission goals would mandate major cuts on their exports, greatly reducing gains. Further, energy companies forced to use alternate energy sources would have to pay absurd amounts of money to rebuild their plants and meet new green regulations. The effect these environmental regulations would have on coal, oil, and gas industries are catastrophic, as their source of revenue would vanish. If a company already has means of energy production, why would they pay for new clean energy implementation methods? Like politicians, large corporations see more harm in going green than not.
Though the public has criticized these corporations, their calls are nowhere near enough. According to Pew Research Center, only ⅔ of Americans say the government should be doing more to protect the environment. Indeed, a significant portion of U.S. citizens are ambivalent or even support the nation’s self-destructive environmental policies. According to the same study, merely 22% of Americans feel seriously affected by climate change, while 77% either feel slightly impacted or not impacted at all. For that 77%, it’s reasonable that they are reluctant to uproot their lives for something they feel unthreatened by. Going green would force many people to be conscious of their water usage and waste production, and switch their energy sources. This transition would cost a lot, and in the face of a seemingly insignificant threat, it looks like a lot of unnecessary work.
In politics, business, and the public alike, people choose to ignore global warming because they feel that the cure is worse than the disease. Whether there is a general feeling that stopping global warming will cost jobs and money, or because transitioning to green energy seems generally inconvenient, reform appears harder and more costly than simply ignoring the issue. Still, all the people who have lost homes, lives, and family understand the real cost of climate change and push the government to find a solution no matter the cost. I do not know where the world is headed. I do not know when we will start working together to cure this global disease, but I am certain of one thing: in the end, nothing is of more importance than the inhabitants of this planet.