Optimistic by Kevin McCarthy

Despite all the negative aspects to climate change, the world still has hope. The UN climate report says that the world has 12 years left until the effects of climate change are irreversible. When some people read the report, they still call climate change a “hoax”, while others try to help the environment. The latter group of people will save the planet.

Leading the fight against climate change is Greta Thunberg. She is a 16-year old girl from Sweden who has spoken at the UN, met with the Canidian Prime Minister, and led thousands in a climate change march. She has admonished some of the most powerful people in the world, stating that they are choosing greed over the planet. She claims that her generation will have to fix previous generations’ mistakes. She is brave and represents that the world can recover from climate change. 

Another positive is that more and more people are convinced that the earth is warming. According to the Boston Globe, nearly 70 percent of Americans believe in global warming. This number continues to rise every year. If these people use their vote to put climate deniers out of office, real change can be implemented. 

Finally, many world leaders believe in climate change, and are doing their part in saving the planet. 185 countries signed The Paris Accord in April of 2016. This Accord is a pact sponsored by the United Nations to bring countries together to fight climate change. When countries signed the Accord, they pledged to reduce emissions, cut back on greenhouse gases, etc. The United States was originally in the Accord, but President Trump, a climate change denier, pulled the country out of it after he became president. If countries throughout the world continue to help save the planet, the next generation might not have to clean up their mess. 

Pessimistic by William Stathakis

In 2006, “An Inconvenient Truth” featuring Al Gore, the former US Vice President, brought to light the real dangers of climate change and the state our planet was in. 13 years later, the issue, until late, has been largely brushed off by the White House. A glimmer of hope appeared when former President Obama signed the Paris Agreement in 2016. This was short-lived due to President Trump’s view that the United States would have to sacrifice more than other countries such as China. 

Greta Thunberg, a Swiss teen at the forefront of the issue describes climate change as “the next mass extinction” while speaking at the United Nations. Researchers at a United Nations Climate Summit say the next 12 months will be crucial in the repair of the earth’s ecosystems. Already, youth activist around the world are stepping up becoming for change. Even still, all the out cry, all the petitions. This still is not enough. Our world is dependent on the use of greenhouse admission, whether it’s the burning of fuel in our car, to the factories making the cars. It does not take a science degree to realize that the hope of a stable ecosystem is now out of the picture. 

It is sad to say, but the effects are already creeping in. With wildfires raging in the Amazons, and polar ice caps melting, we have now begun a race against time. If countries don’t start working together and put aside their differences, then nothing can be achieved. A great connection between the people and the state needs to be established as well. Organizations across the globe have been popping up with new and innovative ways to save energy. Unfortunately, they are on to small of a scale to have real efficacy

Although all of the reports show signs of a sealed future, this conclusion does not lead to the end of the world. What this means is that the world as a whole will change. Need to take this extreme wakeup call and set aside differences, and take care of the planet we all share.