It has become a trend in the mainstream media to avoid one of the most pressing issues, not only to this country, but to the world. Again and again, climate change is glossed over, from every major news outlet to mainstream politics. 

Why does this happen? Maybe it’s because it is a sensitive topic , but maybe it’s because politicians want to outright deny its existence. 

The man who is going to represent our country for the next four years, Donald Trump, denies climate change tweeting global warming is a concept “created by the Chinese to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.”

Now, while more regulations on carbon emissions and fossil fuels could logically make it harder for U.S. companies to compete with places with little to no regulations like China, let’s take a look at the aftermath of this. People in major urban areas of China must walk around in sanitary masks frequently due to poor air quality. 

Whether you believe in climate change or not, not having regulations in place is not good for this country.

Carbon emissions are in fact changing our climate and damaging our planet. We have irrefutable evidence that supports it. It is not theory anymore it is a fact. 

“Winters have gotten colder” is also not a valid argument against climate change. Climate change affects our planet in more complex ways than just “global warming”; it can make winters harsher in addition to making summers warmer.

As little as climate change is talked about in mainstream politics, it seems to have emerged in the third party agenda. Especially with Green Party candidate Jill Stein, who made a large part of her campaign about addressing climate change and other environmental issues. 

Renowned scientist and kids show star Bill Nye has also become a public voice in fighting the effects of climate change. He proposes that we have the resources to become almost completely reliant on renewable energy sources. 

This would be a positive move in the right direction, as the U.S. is the third largest oil producing country in the world. If we do not use anyof the oil we produce, thereis more oil to export to other countries, which would boost our economy. 

Hopefully, this is all a sign of change. These powerful voices cannot be ignored for much longer and hopefully our next president will realize the importance of addressing an issue of such drastic proportions.

Email [email protected]