What’s Happening with Climate Change? Michelle Chan

What’s Happening with Climate Change?

By Michelle Chan

Image from grist.org

This past September, I was excited for pumpkins, sweaters and everything fall — especially in Binghamton, where I can truly appreciate the scenery as seasons change. I never quite noticed the leaves changing colors and falling in autumn or the rebirth of the trees and plant life in spring until I came here. And now, as we approach the holidays, I am also excited for the first snow — but I wonder if that will even happen before winter break starts.

My first winter in Binghamton, in 2019, was one of the coldest winters I’ve ever experienced. I thought winter in New York City was already pretty cold, but I quickly learned otherwise when the first snow of that year came just a week after Halloween. However, every year since, the weather has gone through drastic changes from snowstorms in April to 70-degree weather in November. And these drastic changes in weather are largely due to the climate crisis.

The global warming crisis is one that has been happening for a few years now. With a major issue such as this, it is important for policymakers globally to implement interventions and initiatives to improve the current state of the situation. So, what has changed in the past years in regard to climate change?

What have the top contributors of greenhouse gas emissions, including the United States, China and Germany, done to improve the climate crisis?

China is planning to be carbon neutral by 2060. They are making large efforts to reduce their carbon footprint by investing in clean energy in multiple industries. There is a major push in advancements within the electric mobile industry as they make overseas partnerships with other electric car companies. They are also investing in offshore wind — in fact, there are plans for one city to implement a wind farm that has the capability to power smaller countries such as Norway.

Germany, similar to other countries, has goals to significantly reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, specifically by 60 percent from its 1990 levels. Their Climate Change Act, revealed in 2021, currently plays a major role in achieving these goals. They placed support and investments into the Immediate Action Programme, which aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by building energy-friendly establishments and supporting forestation and conservation efforts. In 2022, the United States government passed the Inflation and Reduction Act. This act encourages people to transition into clean energy and related appliances by providing tax credits on different clean energy products such as electric vehicles. This policy puts the United States on track to reduce 40 percent of 2004 greenhouse gas emission levels by 2030. The Inflation and Reduction Act will also invest in agriculture and forest conservation projects.

Image from https://horticultureconnected.ie

Image from latimes.com

Although multiple countries are making significant progress to reduce climate change, it is clear that there are still many years ahead of us until we see any major positive results. In order to see them come into effect sooner than later, officials in power and the general public must stay vigilant in combating climate change. As other major global events such as the recent pandemic and the conflicts between Russia and Ukraine have come into the mainstream, people have often overlooked global warming, seeing it as a“later” problem. But this is not a “later” problem; rather, it is one that has affected the past and the present, and will likely affect the future. It should be made a priority worldwide. To help fight the climate change crisis (and to hopefully manage the crazy weather shifts), try to find ways to implement clean energy in your life and reduce your carbon footprint and additionally, consider political candidates’ beliefs on this topic in future elections.