The challenge

In Al Gore’s video, Where do We go From Here, he discusses how we must make a transition to a low carbon economy. According to a study, 69% of the population believes that the Earth is significantly heating up, but people seem to lack an urgency to take care of the issue. However, it is an urgent issue and it shouldn’t be an issue that is pushed to the side.

Over the past 28 years the polar ice caps have greatly decreased and without some sort of action this problem will only get worse. The polar ice caps used to be exactly the size of the US and now there only about half the size. It has been pretty obvious that the US is a model nation for several undeveloped nations. Others want to follow in our path and be like us, but really they could possibly be better off without us. We have given undeveloped nations the technology, information, and influence to increase their carbon output. It is possible that without us around, they would have eventually discovered this technology anyways, but not nearly at such a fast and significant rate. These other nations want to be like us because they see the prosperity our country has experienced. Today in my Cultures of Latin America class we had a discussion about how when most countries are in an economic recession they’re worried about their basic needs for survival while when we speak about an economic recession we’re worried about the fact that we might not be able to afford that new big screen T.V. we wanted. It really sometimes makes me wonder, what would the world be like without the developed nations? You wouldn't want to influence your loved ones in a way that could potential be harmful to them so why should this be any different?

As Gore discussed, maybe we should get rid of the employment tax created in the 19th century and begin a carbon tax. He spoke of changing the laws, breaking out of the ordinary. One of our classmates also wrote about this in his paper on how to save Earth. The laws need revising and the most important and urgent issues need to stop being ignored. Gore showed a clip where elephants started falling from the sky. Basically saying that there’s so much carbon in the air it is equivalent to 1.2 billion elephants. As it states, “we need to stop ignoring the 1.2 billion elephants in the room!” Although media can be an extremely powerful tool, it simply has shown to not have a large enough effect on the population. No matter how much media the population is exposed to, they still seem to need something bigger to believe in. If the laws were changed people might realize that this issue is not to be ignored as it previously has been.

As Gore states we need another “hero generation”. We’re always learning about history and all the great men and women who sacrificed, and really made a change, and perhaps its our time to do the same. Although many say we can blame our older generations for the problem at hand but we are the generation that is constantly exposed to the issue and know that something can be done about it. Our generation has the information to do something, so why shouldn't we?

Many think of climate change as a burden, just another problem that needs to be taken care of. However, maybe we should take a different view on global warming and think of it as a blessing, a chance to have our generation be remembered. How great would it be to look in your grandchildren’s textbooks years from now and know you were part of something that really made a difference, that you helped thousands of people throughout the world.

We have been given a blessing, a challenge and we need to step up to the challenge and do something. We have a chance and an opportunity to do something great, and we really shouldn’t let this pass us by.

As the narrartor from The Man who Planted Trees stated “Maybe man could be as effective as God in things other than destruction.” Its time to make a difference, a difference for ourselves, our friends, and our families. We need to simply make a difference for the world. Its time to rise to the challenge, because if we don’t soon, who knows what the consequences could be!