Political views should not overrule environmentalism facts

Florida is going to sink into the ocean! So will California! The seas will overtake the land! The ice caps are melting into nothingness! This is the speech of radical environmentalists 30 years ago about what the climate would do today, or what they thought would happen by today. But, none of that happened. There is no denying that climate change is real. In fact man made climate change is a very real factor in the world, but it may not be to the extent that radical environmentalists will have the people believe.

According to studies, global sea levels have risen at an annual rate of about 0.13 inches over the last 20 years. Whether or not this is a true concern really depends on the person and their perspective on the matter. But there is no doubt that the burning of fossil fuels and other human and natural happenings have caused an increase in global temperature over time, but the climate is always changing. Humans have not helped at all.

With the recent election of Donald J. Trump, who has notoriously stated on Twitter that: “Climate change is a hoax created by the Chinese.” This statement alone infuriated people, Democrats and celebrities in the majority, who believe that climate change is the number one issue facing people today.

Saying that Trump is a climate change denier is also extreme. Recently he has invited people like Al Gore and Leonardo DiCaprio, both extremely passionate climate change activists, to Trump Towers to met with him and discuss these issues. In an Interview with with “Fox News Sunday” Trump has also stated that he has “an open mind about climate change.”

This is good for Trump’s image, especially in the eyes of Democrats, who he will need on his side to make his presidency work. Trump is a noticeable people pleaser and will say what he needs to to get them with him. If he can decide on where he stands with certain issues and get both Democrats and Republicans on his side, then the next four years will be smooth and less conflicted.

Politics plays a huge role of what gets funded in the academic world. The Democrats, who are in majority for environmentalism and funding climate change research, combat the Republicans, who are more focused on other pressing issues such as foreign and domestic terrorism and many of which are climate change deniers.

Science is based on facts. Political bias should have no interaction with the scientific community. When scientists, who have actual facts and evidence to support their cases, politicians should listen to what they have to say and attempt to do something. Their beliefs or political views should not overrule pure, cold hard facts.

“Politicians don’t really know what they’re talking about when it comes to these issues,” senior Hunter Dall-Winther said. “They always seem to make things worse.”

People everywhere depend on fossil fuels and things that cause carbon emissions, especially those that live in developing countries. Fossil fuels are a huge part of the global economy. Thinking about it just as an environmental issue will not lead to solutions. Think about it economically and the impact it would have if people just cut carbon emissions from the globe.

“No, there’s no immediate solution to anything globally,” biology teacher Ben Straka said. “It’s difficult to convince 6 billion people to change their way of life. We will have to invent new ways of coping. Research costs money and time, but it may be the key to convincing everyone.”

Regarding Trump’s statements and tweets about climate change, they are ridiculous but it is good to see that the new president-elect talking with people about these issues. Everyone is going to have to come together and agree on what to do in with these certain issues. Even in Trump’s own administration people are trying to do something about it, although it was not authorized.