Everyone has experienced the endless question fandango. What school do you go to? Do you like it? What are you studying? What are you going to do with that? What\u2019s next? Well, one day I hit a breaking point, so when one of my mother\u2019s friend finished asking me those five questions. I went on an extended rant about the projected gloomy future of our planet. I discussed: the Arctic ice sheets completely melting by 2080, the rising sea levels that will engulf the Pacific Islands, the decreasing Amazon rainforest, the increase in frequency\/intensity of hurricane and etc. Afterwards, I glanced over at my mother\u2019s friend and she had a horrified look on her face. She made an excuse about \u201cdying to see the renovation on the garage\u201d.\u00a0 Mission Accomplished.<\/p>\n
However, after reading Bill McKibben\u2019s book, eaarth , I realize now what I did was wrong.\u00a0 Climate Change is apocalyptic enough, and the last thing I should be doing is crushing people\u2019s moral regarding climate change. Climate change needs people\u2019s interest, not dread.\u00a0 McKibben informs the reader about the anthropogenic alteration to Earth\u2019s atmosphere, biodiversity, oceans and landscape. These changes will result in a new planet and there have been consequences that have already negatively impacted thousands of people.<\/p>\n
Rather than my end of the world scenario with no hope, McKibben paints positivity on to his pages.\u00a0 He offers encouragement, hope and solutions.\u00a0 For example, he acknowledges the switch to local farming and the individual level changes. Like other climatologists, McKibben calls for political and global level changes to green house gas emissions.\u00a0 His website demonstrates the power of protesting and encourages people around the world to get involved. I gained a vast amount of positivity from reading earth and I hope to take McKibben\u2019s approach towards climate change.<\/p>\n