In the last week, an item of note was brought to my attention: Climategate has been debunked.
For those unfamiliar, Climategate refers to the scandal of 2009 in which hacked email conversations between scientists--emails which suggested irregularities in data-- gave hope to climate change skeptics. In an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, Richard Muller, a Berkley physics professor in charge of the study, funded by the Koch brothers--yes, those Koch brothers\0xAD\0xAD\0xAD\0xAD\0xAD--to re-examine data on global climate change, declared, "Global warming is real."
I hope that everyone reading this also reads Muller's piece, as he explains the cause of the "irregularities"--which in turn explains what I mean by "debunked"--in previous data and how the new study, although it did not look at the human impact of climate change, proves Muller's statement.
As far as humanity's role, our role, in the matter, there is a global scientific consensus--yes, there are a few dissenters, but that is to be expected in most scientific matters--that humans have an impact on climate change. Even if, however, you do not choose to accept that, you only have to look around you to see humanity's impact on the environment--the place we all live in, the place we all call home.
For example: there is such a thing as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch--a collection of litter at least the size of the U.S. floating in the middle of the ocean. Beliefs on climate change aside, if you see that, or, to find an example closer to home, the Monsanto PCB dump in Anniston, how can you not think there is something fundamentally wrong with the way we have been treating--and continue to treat--not just the homes of the poor and the voiceless, not just the homes of the plants and animals, but our home?
All of this may seem daunting, and you may start to feel overwhelmed if you think of this as something that you individually must solve, because of course one person alone cannot save the world. You can, though, try your best to decrease the amount of resources you use, to recycle, use refillable water bottles, use less plastic in general, carpool, inform others about environmental issues, and let your political representatives know you care about our government's environmental policies.
I like my air, water and food clean and safe, and I'm sure you do, too. Now that we Americans know climate change is real, it is time we join the rest of the world and work to make things better, not just for us here now, but for posterity.
Zachary Welman
freshman, English, philosophy
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