Is it really hot outside or is it the consequences of man’s actions?

Global warming has been a buzzword for a few years now. Although it is not a new term or doesn’t need to be a buzzword because it is a very real thing. Global warming has been discussed since the early ‘70s. 

It has also become a political debate. I love a good political debate as much as the next political science major, but there is nothing to debate when it comes to global warming. At least to me, I like accepting scientifically proven facts as truth. 

Science is not always correct. But if my major has taught me anything it is that things need to be proven a multitude of times and accepted by science experts before it even is put out to the world. 

Global warming is the gradual increase in Earth’s average surface temperature primarily due to human activities releasing greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. These gasses trap heat from the sun and alter the planet’s climate. Scientific research and evidence have pointed to human activities as the primary driver of global warming. 

The Paris Agreement was adopted in December of 2015 under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This is basically an agreement to hold each participating country accountable for their emissions and have transparency to encourage a commitment towards working for a more sustainable future. 

Facts aside, global warming can be felt around you at this moment. I was questioning my mom about how our ancestors were able to hunt, migrate and live in weather like this without air conditioning units. And she told me that our ancestors did not have our weather, they had cooler temperatures and there was no need for air-conditioned escapes because their bodies were naturally tuned for it. 

I stepped back for a moment and realized that global warming wasn’t just something I read on the news or scrolling through my phone anymore. I am living with the real consequences of not taking care of our planet. There is no more taking steps to prevent things from literally heating up. 

This past winter in South Louisiana was warm. We usually have a false fall, then two weeks of normal weather and then we kick off our winter weather. But that didn’t happen this past winter season, it was arguably worse. 

I waited for weeks for winter weather to settle in, and it never did. At least in my hometown, we didn’t have cold temperatures all of December. The first few days of January did have freezing temperatures, as well as the rest of the month. 

My mother commented on wishing this was how we spent all our winter seasons, and I understood her point. She was born in a tropical country where it was warm in the summer and cool in the winter. So she isn’t used to 60 degree weather, much less below freezing temperatures. 

I laughed at her comment and told her, “Mom I don’t think you want that, it means our planet is dying.” And she corrected me and said, “WE are making our planet die.” 

I stayed silent for a moment because I realized that I had a flawed way of thinking about global warming. It was only made worse by my mother correcting me because I like to sarcastically tell her that I am smarter than her. 

I had this idea that global warming was the physical Earth’s fault. My mother corrected me for a second time in the span of two minutes and told me that every human on Earth is currently at fault for global warming. 

My parents grew up in Honduras, though they experienced hardships in their home country, the one thing they applauded was how they were taught to recycle and clean their piece of Earth. They brought these lessons to America as well. They taught me to recycle plastic bags and items as much as possible, as well as replant anything that we cut down or take. 

This way of life comes from living in a “hunter” way of life for generations. Now we are in the age of using plastic very heavily and caring for the Earth has dropped significantly in new generations. 

It’s very sad to say that my parents and I grew up in two different worlds, even though we live on the same planet. It is even sadder to see that the Earth’s climate is changing extremely fast because I am not experiencing the same weather as I did five years ago. 

And humans aren’t the only ones affected. Animals are dying out slowly but surely, there are fewer and fewer trees on Earth and our fossil fuels are being depleted. All because we refuse to aid ourselves and create a viable future for our descendants. I don’t want to teach my future children what a polar bear, a river or a tree are using my pictures from the past.