Climate Action

By Emma Andrew

When I was growing up in the United States, I didn’t pay much attention to the global climate crisis. The earth around me seemed healthy and clean, as did the air and the seas. I traveled extensively around the United States and witnessed the beautiful variety of climates and landscapes that America has to offer. Living in Hawaii, I grew a deep love for the planet. The rugged, rippling mountain chains jutting above crystal blue water took my breath away, and I felt a sort of inner peace that nature was sufficient enough to be a balm to the troubled soul. Nature was and is and will always be a faithful companion.

However, my time in Hawaii was juxtaposed with perhaps the most extreme of comparisons. I had taken a job internationally in Shanghai, China, one of the largest cities in the entire world, after living in a tiny beach town in Hawaii for years. Shanghai was shiny, exotic, impressive, and overwhelming. At any second of the day there was something to do and somewhere to be, and after slow days that seemed to blend into each other, this was quite extreme. Although beautiful and impressive in its modernity and futuristic euphoria, the city came with consequences. The sky was often blanketed in clouds of smog, which worsened in winter months. At times, the tops to middles of buildings would be shrouded as you walked the streets, giving you the impression as if you were within some sort of snowglobe at times. Breathing was not the easiest task at times, as the particles in the air lent to frequent respiratory illness. Hacking and coughing was frequently heard as I rode the subway or did just about anything. I was beginning to realize something.

The world is fragile, although resilient. Every ecosystem is precariously balanced in a way that works to keep the natural world moving smoothly. Humans fit into this metaphorical machine, and are an essential part of it. However, we have become too efficient for our own good. As we have simplified our own life through the production of technology and goods, we have bulldozed through the balance that the natural world rests on. We are on a thin ice right now, close to the edge of no return.

The realization that the time to act is now, and the action of first changing myself was a scary one. Every action requires some sort of conscious thought as to how it's going to affect the planet. Purchasing groceries? Buy local so less plastic packaging and fossil fuels are used. Ordering takeout? Request they don’t include plastic silverware and use some from home. Drive to that place? Maybe it is close enough to bike.

So many of the ways we live today are detrimental to the earth, and yet we are so ingrained in our routines that we have not stopped to think about the consequences of what we are doing. To fix the damage we have caused will require intentional thought about our consumption of goods. We must make up the change that we want to eventually see in the world. It would be too late to sit around and wait for the world to change its course, because the people who are largely contributing to climate change are singularly following the money. We, as the consumers, are the money. If we decide that we want to purchase from a company who uses

less packaging, the companies will follow suit. If we decide we want to purchase from a company who recycles materials to make clothing, the company will recycle materials to make its clothing. The power is within our hands to enact a change.

I do not blame those who have not attempted to make a change, or perhaps have not been outspoken about the planet’s crisis. For me, I needed first hand knowledge of the damage being done in order to realize the gravity of the situation. I needed to see the worst and the best to know what we had to lose. The important thing now is that those who haven’t seen or will not see the damage will believe us before it is too late. We must write, photograph, document, inspire, and persuade people to believe us. The time to change is now.