Getting Grown About Climate Change
My personal education on the importance of Climate Change awareness came when I was seven years old. I, like many seven year olds, was a rabid fan of the Disney Channel, and it just so happened that my impressionable age was perfect for their eco-friendly agenda. I would regard Send It On by the stars of the Disney Channel as the Climate Change bop of the century. I made it my top priority to make sure I turned off every light and electronic device once I left a room because I knew Nick Jonas wouldn't marry a girl who didn’t care about the environment.
As much as it would break seven year old me’s heart, fast forward ten years and the #regandpledge is not enough to save us from the impending doom that Climate Change holds for us. In fact, we are already experiencing some disastrous effects, and if we have any hope to save ourselves from the worst we need to make bold strides. Fast forward ten years and seventeen year old me is going to explain to the internet universe how Climate Change mitigation is our only option.
The industrial revolution has arguably created this monster of a problem we face today. This burst of information and education on science, math, engineering, and technology has been both sweet and sour. We have developed society so much so that we’ve simultaneously destroyed it. Regardless, we now have so much information at our fingertips to recoil this problem we started so many years ago. Which will require us to actually implement this knowledge if we have hope to turn around our current trajectory.
One of our options is called Carbon Capture, a process that takes CO2 from the atmosphere and charges it back into the environment. Although this procedure has drawbacks, it’s probably one of the most necessary steps we are going to have to take in order to lessen the amount of Greenhouse Gases in the atmosphere. Carbon Capture is a practice that has already seen some small scale success. New technologies are making the procedure more affordable than ever and gives us a reliable alternative to 100% renewable energy. According to Cleantechnica, “If applied to the Shand coal-fired generating station in Saskatchewan, it would remove 97% of carbon dioxide emissions at one third the cost of similar technology in 2014.” Though we do need to make broad strokes to combat Climate Change, America has proven time and time again that we simply are not ready to release dirty energy from our clutches, so Carbon Capture might be the short term solution we’ve been looking for whilst we come to terms with and prepare for a long term clean energy reality.
Another option that's taken flight, especially in New York, is Urban Planning. A practice meant to map, and often re-write, the network of our cities to make them more efficient and liveable for all of its citizens. It’s so important that you can even study it in college nowadays. It is rooted in creating developments that will be sustainable in the future and bringing existing developments to that standard. This practice doesn’t always have to be grandiose and can often take form in community plots, vertical and rooftop gardens, and bike paths.
New York is taking initiative in making effective Urban Planning one of its goals in the coming decade with reinvestment in mass public transportation and transparency with its citizens on statewide land usage. New York City’s Department of City Planning writes and carries out amendments to city plans to combat Climate Change affects like local planning strategies to withstand coastal flooding. This is an initiative that many other cities and states will have to implement to stay ahead of the game especially regarding sea level rise.
But as I expressed earlier, it’s going to take some huge action to move society in the right direction, and LEED certifications are trying to get us there. LEED recognizes the impact that buildings, cities, and communities have on quality of life and wellbeing. There are economic benefits to having a LEED certified building, but it also insures that the development is doing the best they can to save energy, generate less waste, and support human health. These certifications come in levels from Certified to Platinum, where Platinum meets 80+ points on the LEED Project Checklist. For a home some of those items would include: access to public transit, water efficiency, annual energy use, environmentally preferable products, ventilation, air filtering, etc. My brightest hope for the future is that we can get to a place where it is standard (maybe even required) for every house to meet the Silver Certification with help from the government and local developers if need be.
It’s super amazing to see places so close to home already trying to make this a reality. New York City has a handful of LEED certified buildings including the Hearst Tower (the first building in the world to earn both Gold and Platinum Certifications), The World Trade Center (the tallest building in the world with the Gold Certification), The Bank of America Tower (LEED Platinum Certified), The Empire State Building (LEED Gold Certified), 10 Hudson Yards (a new development that is LEED Platinum Certified), etc. A lot of Climate Change news can be perceived as doom and gloom, and while it’s really important to note how sad our changing climate can be it’s also amazinging to see how many cool and innovative ways cities are coming together to combat this challenge creatively.
I feel like the phrase “Climate Change” has been running rampant through the course of our news cycle lately without any true lasting sentiments or meaning to some, but it truly is so, so important to pay attention to and learn about. As said by the oh-so sage Miley Cyrus, “Wake up America we’re all in this together, it’s our home so let’s take care of it, you know that you want to, you know that you got to,” because we want there to be the same home we are able to enjoy now for our great great grandkids someday.
It’s really easy to get caught up in the existential dread of Climate Change, but it’s also really inspiring to learn about the tech we are developing right now. There have never been more jobs, education, and learning opportunities to save our Mother Earth than right now, so get excited! Our future depends on it! I can already see the amazing changes technology is bringing on the horizon, and our best case scenario is to dive head first into these new opportunities and explore them for the betterment of our society.
And if you’re not as excited as I am about the role technology and development plays into going green, just know your favorite celeb probably wouldn’t be into someone who doesn’t at least recycle.
