By Sohpia Gianisis

In the 1960s, two heat waves occurred per year in major cities in the United States. That number has now tripled. We now experience six heat waves a year, with each heat wave lasting longer and being more powerful. But why is this? Human emissions of greenhouse gasses have increased from 11 billion tons of carbon dioxide in the 1960s to an estimated 36.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide in 2022. This pollutant builds in the atmosphere and collects both sunlight and solar radiation trying to escape, warming the planet. The amount of carbon in the atmosphere only continues to grow, and at an ever increasing rate. We need to take action to limit or cut off carbon use completely, and there is no other choice. 

In 2023 alone, we lost 21 species to extinction. These extinctions all lead back to human action. Animals are so important to our survival: they provide us with food, remove CO2 from the air, and keep entire ecosystems stable. With every species we lose, the world becomes less hospitable. Many locations are already experiencing extreme weather, less fertile soil, and higher sea levels. And this is just the beginning. According to Climate.gov, a symbol for science and information about our climate, the rate of its warming is also changing at an alarming rate. Since 1982, it is more than three times as fast. Not only are we ruining our planet now, we are also sabotaging it for the future. Last year, 2023, won the prize for the hottest year since we began recording, and by 2.12 degrees Fahrenheit. While a few degrees higher may not seem like a big deal, it takes a tremendous amount of energy to raise the temperature of the Earth even a few degrees. So this temperature change is terrifying, and rightly so. While all of this negative information can be jarring, it’s not like there isn’t any positive progress. Slowly, we are making steps in the right direction, but the question is if we’re doing enough. As noted by the White House’s website on the Climate, electric vehicle sales have quadrupled. This highlights a change in the type of energy that is being consumed. Similarly, jobs relating to clean energy have increased in every state, also positively affecting many Americans. This has employed more than 3 million Americans. These are all positive actions, but this will not stop or even stall global warming. These next few years are so important to how climate change progresses. The change that the world could make if they worked together will save lives. 

This matter can be expressed with one simple problem: the type of energy we use. The main energy source in the US is fossil fuels, with petroleum being the main source of energy for the country. Fossil fuels are nonrenewable, meaning that there is a finite supply of them. However, fossil fuels can be renewed, but over the course of millions of years. Fossil fuels, when released into the atmosphere, are particularly debilitating. Renewable energy sources, however, typically have a much smaller impact on the climate. Three main and generally harmless types are geothermal, hydropower, and solar energy. Geothermal energy can be found deep within the earth, with heat pumps used to transfer this energy to the surface, where it can be used as heating. Hydropower is energy created from the movement of water, like water flowing through a dam to power a turbine. Solar energy, with an almost infinite supply, uses radiation from the Sun to produce power. These energy sources are renewable, but make up a smaller percentage of the main energy sources than fossil fuels. But how efficient are these energy sources at powering a country? For example, geothermal energy pumps are very location specific, and incredibly expensive. Similarly, hydropower can damage or destroy the environments that it runs through and solar energy is expensive and relatively inefficient. This affects our ability to transition to an environmentally friendly and sustainable energy source. Powering our country solely off of these energy sources is difficult. However, there is no magical solution to this. Our energy will have to be made up of renewable resources.

When hearing about how we are willingly furthering our crisis, it raises the question of what would happen if carbon emissions were zero. The positive impacts of this would be numerous. While scientists are not completely sure what would happen, the best evidence suggests that global warming would stop or slow down. But would the temperature drop? According to a NASA article, the temperatures would stop growing eventually, but continue to stay this high for centuries. But it still is necessary. By reducing the release of greenhouse gasses, we save the future of humanity. Every year that nothing is done or the effort is delayed, so many animals and humans lose their homes. Intense storms, melting glaciers, and rising sea levels will eventually make any home uninhabitable. There are a few reasons why we haven’t transitioned to no carbon emissions yet. For example, we have no efficient substitutes for oil. We are currently developing more advanced extraction technologies, which makes oil less expensive to extract. The truth is, these are economically easy options. They are inexpensive and very efficient forms of energy, while we lack the same quality in alternatives. Until our main priority is keeping our planet clean, and we are willing to sacrifice a few luxuries for this, this problem will not be solved. 

Every day of inactivity, the problem only gets worse. Even on a smaller scale, it still gets worse every single day. We can’t rely on others to do this job, we all have a role in this. No matter who you are, we can always make an impact ourselves. If every single person did something, the impact person to person would be small, but overall it would be tremendous. For example, solar energy, while having drawbacks, is available almost anywhere. If it was used more widely, it would cut down on the amount of fossil fuels released. If all of these energies were carefully combined and used, we could definitely decrease our carbon footprint. Anyone can help. Even something as simple as turning off the light when you’re not in the room can help. Things like that add up. Walking short distances, taking a bike, using LED light bulbs, and investing in energy efficient appliances have this same effect. Making this change is easier than we are led to believe. 

Sophia is a freshman and a writer for Valley Unveiled. She does cheerleading and is in French club. She likes art and to go outdoors.