The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report from last fall delivered some scary data about the future of our planet, and told us that we have around 12 years to change our ways before the planet warms by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius. Otherwise, we will face disasters far stronger and more frequently. We have already experienced some of these changes; for instance, the increasing frequency of hurricanes like Hurricane Florence. We must act now in order to lessen the impacts of extreme weather in the future. Our best hope is to implement resolutions like the Green New Deal (GND).
The GND aims to create a sustainable economy that is both environmentally and socially responsible. Some of the most pertinent goals of this resolution are to reach carbon neutrality and 100% clean energy by 2030. Through achieving these goals, the GND would also create well-paid jobs for anyone who wants one. These are just the basics of the GND, the entire resolution in action would transform the economy and the future of our planet for the better. It would also help to ensure that global temperatures remain below 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming.
As described in the IPCC report, the difference between 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming and 2 degrees Celsius of warming is massive. For example, at 1.5 degrees, 14% of the population is expected to experience severe heat at least once every five years. Whereas, at 2 degrees, 37% of the population is expected to experience severe heat at least once every five years. While some may welcome this warmth, other areas of the world will become unlivable, leading thousands, if not millions, of people to seek refuge in cooler climates.
Additionally, the true extent of sea level rise may not be clear. Scientists estimate that at 1.5 degrees, sea levels will have risen 0.40 meters (~ 1.3 feet) by 2100; and at 2 degrees, they will have risen by 0.46 meters (~ 1.5 feet). This degree of sea level rise could mean greater risk of flooding and property damage in North Carolina’s future. The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality considers low-lying coastal areas and barrier islands to be extremely vulnerable to the impacts of sea level rise. Impacts include depleted water quality in fisheries and aquifers that provide drinking water and decreased quality in soils.
It is obvious that we need to enforce drastic changes in order to prevent drastic disasters. Even the Trump administration admitted in an environmental impact assessment the reality at hand. However, the administration claimed that it is too late to act, saying that to reverse the effects of climate change “would require substantial increases in technology innovation … and the economy and the vehicle fleet to move away from the use of fossil fuels, which is not currently technologically feasible or economically feasible.”
The truth is that this is feasible. The survival of our planet is worth any technological or economic expense, and, thankfully, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez knows this. Her introduction of the GND has made a clean future possible. Ocasio-Cortez admits that her plans for the GND are, in her words, “big and bold”; however, despite the magnitude of the proposed ideas in the GND, the gravity of climate change is far greater. By enforcing policies that aim to revolutionize transportation, upgrade energy efficiency and work with the agricultural industry to reduce pollution and greenhouse emissions, the GND provides an outline for a greener America and a greener planet.
Our nation’s leaders know that the threat of climate change is real and that we must act now. We must take responsibility for our actions because leaving the burden of climate change to future generations is likely to have fatal results. As a prestigious research university, NC State plays a role in influencing the future of our nation. We should use our time here to support climate action and resolutions like the Green New Deal.
Tymber Felts is a third-year studying international studies
