Students need to lead action on climate change
Classes resumed on Monday after tropical storm Imelda flooded Southeast Texas. The scale of flooding reminded many of Hurricane Harvey in 2017. While some residents were awoken Wednesday night by flash flood warning alarms, others were already dealing with water in their homes.
Imelda left more than 40 inches of rain in parts of Southeast Texas, and the Lamar community is personally acquainted with the devastation of losing a home or car. Worse still, there are five confirmed deaths related to the storm.
On Friday, cities across the world hosted the Youth Strike for Climate Change.
Climate scientists believe global warming creates conditions to allow storms like Harvey and Imelda to become more powerful.
According to the National Climate Assessment 2014 report, the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere has increased due to human-caused warming. Warmer air contains more vapor than cooler air, and this extra moisture is available to storms, creating heavier rainfalls.
“How can we get more young people involved,” Greta Thunberg, 16-year-old climate activist, said during a Congressional hearing about climate change, Sept. 18. “I think to just tell them the truth. Tell them how it is. Then, I think people will understand and want to do something about it.”
One of the most valuable skills students can develop in college is critical thinking. The ability to form rational and unbiased judgements starts with collecting facts. Information regarding climate change is freely available. The first step to reform is understanding the issue and how it directly affects our community.
Climate change is not an idea one can choose to accept or reject — the science shows it to be true. It is a time for all of us to take action — and that requires all of us to understand the crisis we face.