By Kennedy Thomason
Elm Staff Writer
November has come, and with it some seriously low temperatures.
On the evening of Wednesday, Nov. 1, the entire state of Maryland was under a freeze warning as a cold front meandered into this neck of the woods. Some areas in Western Maryland saw snow flurries before they even finished sorting their Halloween candy. The 17 mph winds — with gusts up to 31 mph — certainly did not help.
As people trade out their Birkenstocks and t-shirts for Uggs and crewnecks, there is still one thing that should be at the forefront of our minds: global warming.
You might remember the beginning of the semester when a late-summer heat wave illuminated Washington College’s disappointing ratio of functional air-conditioners to non-functional ones. You were probably cursing climate change then. Now that it is chillier, it is understandably easier to forget that 2023 was the hottest year to date, as reported by The Guardian. We must not forget, or we risk losing our only inhabitable planet.
James Hansen, a former NASA scientist, director of Columbia University’s program on climate science, and the first to speak to Congress about climate change, argues that the globe is heating up even faster than he originally predicted.
According to the same Guardian article, Hansen released a new peer-reviewed study that claims that within the 2020s, the Earth will be 1.5°C hotter on average than pre-industrial times. By 2050, Hansen predicts that number to rise to 2°C hotter. If this happens, the world “breaches the internationally agreed 1.5°C threshold set out in the Paris Climate Agreement far sooner than expected.”
According to Inside Climate News, this accelerated heating of the planet could have disastrous effects on coastal towns as sea levels rise and natural disasters such as hurricanes become more extreme. Just in case you needed a reminder, WC is on a peninsula — not exactly prime real estate for those looking to stay above water in the coming years.
Consequences of unchecked climate change which would impact our local communities and ecosystems also include “heat waves, heavy downpours, and floods,” according to Inside Climate News. Each of these pose environmental and financial threats as well as public health concerns.
One of Maryland’s most prominent downfalls is our dependency on waste incineration, which causes unfathomable air pollution. Inside Climate News reports that this level of pollution can lead to an increased risk of “preterm births, cancers of the blood and lung, and emergency room visits,” on top of exacerbating global warming.
As much as it would be easy to harp on celebrity private jet usage or big businesses’ nonchalant attitude toward the subject, the time for finger-pointing has long passed. We cannot wait for all of the CEOs’ hearts to grow three sizes and all of a sudden care about the environment.
Unfortunately, this is a game of legislation and costliness. According to Inside Climate News, “Maryland has committed to a 60 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2031, relative to 2006 levels, and a net zero economy by 2045, under the Climate Solutions Now Act passed last year.”
In theory, this is fine and dandy. Except: Maryland is not even close to achieving these numbers within the given time constraints.
Owners of Maryland’s waste incinerators themselves are less than thrilled and have made it clear that they will not go down without a fight, according to Inside Climate News. One could also blame the ever-so-slow movement of state offices to properly enact and enforce the outlined restrictions. But, up until now, politicians were accustomed to using the all-too-familiar excuse: money.
“Unprecedented federal funding under the Inflation Reduction Act is expected to supercharge the clean energy transition and greenhouse gas reduction efforts at the state and local levels,” reports Inside Climate News.
So, if the money is there, is it being used effectively?
This is where you come in. There is a plethora of ways that individuals can be more environmentally friendly: avoid using gasoline-powered modes of transportation, invest in solar panels, dodge single-use plastics, compost, or plant a tree, among other things.
However, as we have all come to realize, all the Trader Joe’s reusable shopping bags in the world cannot undo what has been done. While it is best, of course, to use all of these methods, holding local, state, and federal governments accountable is just as important. So, when was the last time you called your representatives to ask them how they are combating the climate crisis?
The Maryland Weather Service predicts the following days to be “seasonably chilly,” with highs in the 50s and overnight lows in the 20s and 30s. However, climate change does not hibernate. It does not fly South for the winter, and it does not take a tropical vacation. We cannot afford to treat the problem like a seasonal trend any longer.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Photo caption: Statistically, it cannot be denied that climate change has escalated at a rapid pace in recent years.