Tuesday, February 18, 2014
5 Reasons Why Climate Change Is Back In The News
This CNN article is really cool, and talks about why climate change is being talked about now, when a few months ago no one was thinking about it. It's really a good example of how politics disproportionately shape the government more than issues and problems do, and it also shows the seriousness of a very serious problem we like to forget about. Really good read overall.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
This is definitely an ideological issue. There is usually a distinct "Republican" and "Democrat" side when it comes to environmental issues. I have a much more moderate stance on the environment compared to some very radical views. I agree with what Bill Nye said in the article. Climate change may or may not be caused by humans. Even if it isn't caused by us, how could lowering our carbon footprint hurt?
ReplyDeleteI don't think it should matter if you're Democratic, Republican, or Moderate, we should all look at the facts presented to us by the legitimate scientists of the world and make some serious changes. Even if people want to pretend that melting icecaps, seas rising so much they will cover entire countries, and huge super storms are nothing to really worry about, why fight making the world a cleaner more efficient place?
ReplyDeleteMany of the oil companies (such as Exxon) have no problem going green. They take issue, however, when they are being pushed at too fast of a rate. The transition to greener technologies may need to take longer than some would hope, but that is okay. We still have enough time to correct any problems that we supposedly have. And besides: what good is it to have a world without a strong America? America is the last true bastion of freedom in the world. Thus, we need a strong economy and the supposed issue of the environment cannot force us to lose sight of what matters: defending freedom and passing it on to the next generation.
ReplyDeleteI think at this point is pretty hard to deny climate change, which is why I am baffled when I hear that anyone is opposed to reasonable legislation aiming to reduce climate change. Anyway I think that it is great that climate change is finally being discussed seriously, regardless of the motivation. My favorite reason for why climate change is back in the news is "extreme weather." I think that this really has people freaked out.
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely interesting that climate change is becoming much more talked about so recently, but this article did a good job of explaining why. It's unfortunate that this happens to be bad timing for the topic due to it being an election year, but I hope that doesn't mean it's going to disappear from headlines again. Reducing carbon emissions and pollution are just generally good things that could help improve the country. If so many scientists have no doubt about climate change, hopefully the opponents take a closer look at what's happening and realize it doesn't have to be such a heated, ideological debate.
ReplyDeleteI find it hard to believe that people still try to deny climate change and that some refer to it as the "supposed issue of the environment" as Andrew did. There are countless studies that strongly support global climate change is an increasing problem. If we do not take steps now to cut down on our environmental footprint, in the future America will have no resources left to be a strong country. I think this article did a good job of explaining why it has become such a prominent issue recently.
ReplyDeleteThe entire article intrigued me, but I found one bullet point more interesting than the other four. The first reason titled "Obama Walks the Talk" stood out the most because it directly relates to chapter fourteen in class. President Obama is now "ready to move" on the issue. When the president of the United States calls for Congress to debate a topic or issue it immediately draws attention. As Mr. Danson said in class, this does not mean that the president will get what he wants if a bill is passed or that a bill will get passed at all.
ReplyDeleteOn many issues i can understand both sides of an argument as they both have merit, environmental protection is not one of those two sided issues. The idea of milking the planet for what its worth as soon as possible baffles me, the GOP loves to go after oil as if it were the more important resource available to us. But oil will not feed or hydrate a nation, where as planet earth will and the threat that climate change poses is immense and should be treated with great respect.
ReplyDeleteLike you guys have said, I hope this issue doesn't disappear from the headlines. Andrew if you are concerned about the next generation, this “supposed issue” is actually a pretty good one to focus on. I think Katie was spot on: we need to learn to be more efficient now to save resources for the future, otherwise our strength won't last. Okay, I completely understand that prioritizing tasks is a key concept in running government. I also understand that people disagree on those priorities, but I think we can transition a little faster without “los[ing] sight of what matters.”
ReplyDeleteAnything that has Bill Nye the Science Guy is definitely worth reading. (I just read that to myself in that voice.) But anyway, I feel like this should be an issue supported by anybody. Environmental protection is an enormously important thing that we should all focus on doing to not only conserve resources, but to also reduce emissions and pollution to make the earth a cleaner, safer, and nicer place to live. Improving the planet we live on and being more efficient should be supported overwhelmingly by Democrats and Republicans, but it seems to me that is not the case. While not everyone may agree that environmental protection is a major topic that needs to be addressed, I certainly think this article does a solid job of highlighting why this issue will not go away anytime soon.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very important issue and I'm glad that it has been brought up in the blog. The five points make it easy for anyone to stay informed on the issue. Although I do not have an opinion on the issue, I can see where both sides are coming from. I do feel it is an issue to be talked about. The environment is in need of our attention and will not just go away.
ReplyDeleteI think that is good that this subject has finally made its way back into the limelight underneath this new term for President Obama. While this was a huge issue among the different parties in other presidencies, it has almost lost itself in the spectrum of Obamas other objectives in his first term. I see these five reasons as only scratching the surface on why we should return more focus to this topic, but hopefully much of the bickering that usually surrounds climate change and the legislation that has been brought up to help it recede from the problems of wasteful we live as a nation. I hope that the extreme partisanship that has poisoned Congress can look past it's agendas and leave a better tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteI liked this article a lot and I'm glad were talking about this issue, for I feel it is important and often overlooked. Facts are facts; we cannot deny that climate change is a serious problem we are faced with. Sadly, as Dean pointed out, politics completely shape our government, and as we have learned make it nearly impossible to get anything done. The article reinforces this idea with its 5th point that it's an election year, meaning Congress will be even less productive than usual. I hope the sudden attention the climate is receiving is not short lived, for it needs serious attention.
ReplyDeleteI am really glad that the environment is returning as an important political topic, maybe because I take Environmental and am learning about every possible way we are killing the world, or maybe because I like nature. The environment's health is only going to improve if someone with some real influence does something. The environment is also really important for everyone so a candidate who chooses to address this issue will most likely gain wide support.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to see that environmental issues are being talked about again in politics. The environment is a very important topic and it needs to be discussed more and this article did a very good job of explaining why. As a country we need to start by taking small steps to reducing our carbon footprint. These kinds of problems will never go away and they will only get worse.
ReplyDeleteClimate change aside, I think that everyone should be concerned about our carbon footprint and where we get our energy from. Fossil fuels are finite resources, and if we were really concerned about our future generations, we would put the time and money into finding solutions now, before we are forced to in the future.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to see environmental issues being discussed regardless of how much climate change is actually affected by humans. Bill Nye brought up a great point: trying to be more environmentally friendly can never hurt. Personally, I'll be staying tuned to wait for scientists to find more info on how much our actions actually impact our planet and its climate.
ReplyDeleteI like that the environment is being talked about in Washington, but I tend to think that politicians are only using it as a platform to attack the opposing party, which was discussed in number five. I also think people should be in support of limiting the pollution we put into the air, like the article said, because no matter if you believe in climate change or not, I think everyone can agree that making Earth cleaner is a good idea.
ReplyDelete