Energy, Climate, Environment

Rationale

Human systems are incontestably responsible for Earth system changes. Specifically the human system of energy need and use is responsible for a large portion of global environmental changes. According to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), energy supply and transportation are responsible for 39% of all GHG Emissions (Green House Gasses). The United States and Canada are responsible for 19.4% of global pollution and have only 7% of the world's population.¹ According to the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Transportation Energy Data Book, in 2007, the United States alone consumes 24.1% of the world's produced petroleum.² Something about these startling statistics does not quite add up.

Humans have made some impact on every inch of the Earth. According to a 2005 MIT study hurricanes and tropical storms have shown increased intensity since the 1970's. According to the Environmental Defense Fund, an area about the size of Texas of Arctic Sea water has melted according to the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment. US Geological Surveys predict that Glacier National Park will have no glaciers left by 2030.³ The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), predicts a high likelihood of coastal erosion, higher summer heat intensities, lowered water level of rivers and lakes, decrease in water quality, increased wildfire potential, and a decreased yielding in crops.⁴ The EPA states that these are all a direct effect of human activities and choices.

The statistics of human impact on the environment are indisputable. The rate of climate change and human impression is undeniable. Species extinction, changes in weather patterns, erosion, increased human population, and atmospheric transformation is irrefutable. Disputable, however, is the irreversibility of human influence. Can we replace, reuse, and repair our Earth, its resources, and our environment? Only time and effort towards this will tell. Efforts need to be purposeful, swift, and abundant. However this generation cannot do it alone. Therefore it is essential that we evolve and integrate ecology into mainstream education. Educating the next generation of Earth's caregivers, insisting in prioritization of conservation, and instilling the importance of proactive change will alleviate all doubt as to the importance of ecology. Education is the answer for expediting the process of rejuvenation.