Every year I am more and more concerned about the immediate consequences of climate change. I have tried to change my behavior in some ways: I walk to school when I can, I turn the lights off when they don't need to be on, I try to unplug appliances when they are not being used. But the fact of the matter is that it is not enough. The Earth is warming at an increasing rate, and humans are the major cause of it.
Miller's article was provocative because he paints a picture of the world his children may grow up in--the consequences of global warming could be felt within the next 20 years. It is frightening to imagine half of the country as a dustbowl, facing water and food shortages as population continuously increases.
An increase of 0.8 degrees Celsius has already caused significant changes in weather patterns. While 2010 was one of the hottest years on record, places like Nashville, Brazil, France, Australia, and Northern Pakistan experienced massive flooding. The economic consequences have already been felt in crop losses.
For the second half of the semester, I think I would like to do something on the climate crisis we currently face. Part of me would like to do a creative piece, creating a dystopian society that was unable to stop climate change, but I am not sure I will be able to pull it off (creative writing is not my strong suit). Or I can write and essay that describes the crisis from different points of view, proposes some new clean energy alternatives, or calls my peers to action. I want to write something that makes people care.
Thoughts?
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