You can’t escape climate change, but it’s not a bad thing
From July 2021 to October 2021, the Dixie Fire in California destroyed nearly 1 million acres of forest—larger than Rhode Island. CEDIT: Fire alarm
A few weeks ago, I had a difficult conversation with my parents about climate change. Not the kind born out of denial, but the kind born out of extreme despair. They looked at me gloomily, and asked me to sit down and ask: “Climate change will not be so bad, where can we go?”
My parents are just two of the millions of people affected by wildfires and drought in California.This year alone, almost Two million acres The state was burned. Communities like my parents are often plagued by the threat of evacuation orders and dangerously poor air quality. They are totally understandable to ask this question.
As someone who has studied the environment at the University of California, Santa Barbara for four years and is now a candidate for a master’s degree in climate science at Columbia University, I think they hope I can give them a concrete answer-some knowledge about the flourishing green utopia, They can pack up and move there to ease the severe situation in California. But as I sat there, taking longer and longer to formulate answers, all hope to calm their fears disappeared like wildfire.
“Climate change will be better where there is nowhere to go,” I said. “It will always be there-it just looks different.” consensus Climate scientists are specific: the effects of climate change will intensify in every region on the planet, although the specific impacts faced will vary from region to region.
Dissatisfied with this answer, as if they chose to ignore it, my parents started to list the different locations they had considered.
“What about the East Coast? There is no fire there,” they suggested.
“Yes,” I started. “But with extreme weather events such as rising sea levels and hurricanes, climate change has left many places on the east coast at Flood risk. A week later, Hurricane Ida confirmed my view because it reached the northeastern United States from the Gulf Coast and killed at least 49 people in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut.
“Hmm…” They paused. “So Europe! There have never been hurricanes there.”
“You are right, but climate change makes the weather there more extreme, and also. There are heat waves and fires in Southern Europe, and floods and mudslides in Northern Europe,” I pointed out. This summer, devastating floods in Germany, Belgium, Romania, Italy, and Austria killed 242 people and caused another US$11 billion in damage to infrastructure. Turkey, Greece And the wildfires in Italy caused 8, 2 and 4 deaths respectively.
They went on and proposed locations from South America to East Asia, but I regretfully extinguished each one. In the end, we came to the conclusion that perhaps moving does not eliminate my parents’ concerns about the climate. They have nowhere to go, and they can ensure that other events caused by climate change will not appear suddenly. So, for now, they are repairing the crack under the door, installing sprinklers on the roof, and then squatting down until the smoke dissipates and the fire season is over.
Because I study climate change, I am surrounded by stories similar to those of my parents-stories of the tragic ways in which people’s lives have been disrupted by climate change. They are all too common. As climate change progresses, they will increasingly become part of the common experience of living on earth.
This fact seems unstoppable, and sometimes it is true, but I still have confidence in our future.
Why?
Because in addition to stories of pain and displacement, there are stories of strength and resolution.
Indigenous communities in North America are taking the lead in protesting new oil and gas projects.Their efforts have prevented or delayed the equivalent of Build 400 new coal-fired power plants So as not to be discharged into the atmosphere.
Experts are working hard to implement new forms of solar technology, which can provide energy even after the sun sets, which is not possible with traditional solar power generation.
Obviously, there are many ideas and motivations to deal with climate change. Because of my past and current educational experience, I feel lucky to have this incredible insight into the work that people around the world are doing to combat climate change. Most importantly, I am more fortunate to be surrounded by people who have the ability to take action.
Because of this, I encourage everyone I know to discover their own space for participation, where ideas flow, imagination is rich, and the future is bright. Go to the community to organize events, join the online message board, or research climate solutions that interest you.
In retrospect, I should answer my parents’ question, “Where can we go where climate change won’t be so bad?” A loud voice: “Go ahead!” We may not be able to escape climate change, but nothing can stop us from facing tough. it.
