This is typically not what I think of when I hear of someone
pulling an all-nighter:
Senate Democrats stayed up late on Monday night in hopes
that the environment will stay as healthy as it is (if you could call it healthy).
Twenty-eight senators were set to take the senate floor, sharing speeches and
presentations about the state of the environment. The event was organized by a
new initiative, the Climate Action Task Force, which is trying to gain support
for Obama’s climate change agenda. Senators believe in climate change and are
willing to take responsibility and act. Senate Republicans, on the other hand,
do not believe in such a thing. Therefore, the chances of passing any
environment-related legislation anytime soon are relatively small.
Still, in Obama’s second term so far, his administration has
been much more vocal about the need for environmental regulation. John Kerry,
the current Secretary of State, said he wants to make climate change his
signature issue and the Pentagon said last week that they see climate change as
a threat to military installations.
The EPA is trying to put limits on the amount of carbon
dioxide that can be emitted from power plants. These emissions are the single
largest source of carbon dioxide in our country. Some senators have been trying
to get such legislation passed for a number of years. They show no signs of
letting up anytime soon.
I blame Mr. Dillman and my stays at summer camp for making
me a tree hugger, but that’s not a bad thing. Our earth is beautiful, and even
if you don’t believe in climate change, or “global warming” as many like to
call it, we are destroying what we have been blessed with. This may have
started out unintentionally. Did we know back in the times of the industrial
revolution that the thick smoke blowing out of these things was bad?
Probably, but we couldn’t prove it scientifically. Heck, in
the 1960s people were only speculating that cigarettes were bad. Today we know,
and we cannot choose to be ignorant. In the same way that smokers are encouraged
to quit and take better care of themselves nowadays, people should also be encouraged
to take better care of their Earth. If we want our children and grandchildren
to enjoy the great outdoors like we have, no split house or government can stop
us. We only have one Earth, and it’s quickly going to waste. Change is essential;
it cannot come soon enough.
"Climate change is real”
No comments:
Post a Comment