North Texas Daily

When most people think of “global warming,” polar bears and melting ice usually comes to mind — it’s never the death of coral reefs, famine, droughts, wildfires, diseases and deadly storms.

A group of scientist working for the International Panel on Climate Change assembled by the U.N. confirmed these unthinkable fears. Their most recent report claims those drastic events will take place as soon as 204o if nothing is done to prevent the rapid pace of global warming.

The world will heat up by 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit in 2040, and the planet we call home will suffer from tragic effects like heat waves, dangerous rises in sea level and species loss and extinction. Not only is it severely impacting the environment but it’s also putting humans everywhere at risk.

We will be breathing more toxic air pollution. We will be at risk of catching vector-borne diseases. We will be vulnerable to the hazards caused by damages to energy, food and water sources. We will even be facing an increasing level of poverty and disadvantages, but yet this still isn’t enough to get our government officials to act.

President Trump has withdrawn from the Paris Agreement, which says the U.S. no longer wants anything to do with making this world a safer and cleaner place for its inhabitants. Even though we as a nation are largely to blame for the planet’s destruction, following China as the second country in the world that emitted the most carbon dioxide in 2015 alone is not a good look, and President Trump’s push to continue burning coal isn’t helping this global issue.

One leading solution to this crisis is a carbon tax, or a fee on the burning of carbon-based fuels like coal, oil and gas. Of course adding a tax means paying more money, but what’s worse: paying a tax or damaging the planet for future generations? If you want to continue to pollute and speed up the irreversible damage of global warming by releasing more greenhouse gases, you must pay the price. A carbon tax is one of the only effective ways proven to help prevent the world from completely going down hill in 2040.

Would you rather pay a tax or pay with your life?

Our government has caused people to think of global warming as a “hoax,” which already sets a negative tone for any potential progress toward solutions. If people think of climate change as “fake news,” then how on earth (pun intended) are we going to put a stop to it? Thousands of scientist have experienced first-hand the impact our way of life is having on the planet, yet people continue to discredit and disbelieve.

At the end of the day, why should they care? Most members of Congress and the President won’t be around in 30-40 years to see the manifestation of these effects into reality. But we do. As the up-and-coming generation, we must take it upon ourselves to put a halting end to global warming — we’re the planet’s only hope.

We have to vote candidates in who will support the bettering of the earth, and we have to decrease carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. These are direct channels for change within our control because the government has the voice to put a foot forward to end the high levels of toxic gas emissions.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re Democratic or Republican because when our world deteriorates even further, we all go down with it.

Featured Illustration: Austin Banzon