It is all over the news: temperatures keep getting hotter and hotter. Every year has become the “hottest year on record.” The UN says that we are getting closer to the threshold where we can no longer avoid the effects of climate change. To me, climate change equates to extreme heat and humidity, and all the health concerns that it brings.
My worry is not so much for myself but for the next generation. For the kids: for my nephews and nieces, the ones who will live with this the most. We do not have that much time left. This is something that a vaccine or staying at home cannot fix.
Climate change is one of the things that gives me so much anxiety. It reminds me of that one episode of Lizzie Maguire where she was so stressed about wanting to do something and fearing that she was not doing enough. I feel exactly the same way. I do what I can, but I also know that if I had the resources, there is so much more that I can do. I want to do more, and I wish I could. I am not a hypocrite — I know I can do more and it gives me so much guilt that I can’t.
Some things are just harder to do than others given what I can afford to do:
- I still buy products that are packaged in single-use plastic. I want to avoid it, but there are no resources in my area for refilling and there are no other alternatives. Even if there were, they are most definitely beyond my budget. I buy earth-friendly when I can afford it, but it is not as often as I would like to.
- I eat meat even if people said it would be much better for the environment if we all went vegan. I wish I could do that, but again, this is easier said than done. I’ve tried meat alternatives but they are too expensive for me.
- I still use the AC and I take too many showers when it is too hot. I would love to buy an environmentally friendly AC when it becomes available but for now, managing the heat for my health is the bigger priority.
Being completely earth-friendly is not as easy as we think for normal people like you and me. It can get expensive to avoid products that are not packaged in single-use plastics. Being educated on climate change and what we can do is not enough and is not as important for people who are worrying about how to afford to pay their bills and their next meal. I believe that it is the responsibility of governments and big businesses to make these earth-friendly options available. If options are there and they are affordable, I believe that people would shift to that because it is attainable and accessible for them.
There is only so much the general public can do. It is the responsibility of the manufacturers to produce environmentally-friendly ways to sell and distribute their products. Governments should work with these businesses to find ways to be earth-friendly and still keep the economy going.
With everything I see and read about in the news, I cannot help but wonder if what we are all doing is too little too late. If we have already started the clock on our impending doom with climate change.
People have said that these effects will become irreversible by 2030. That is just nine years from now. That scares me so much. I wish that world governments and big businesses will stop thinking about the bottom line and start thinking of how to save the planet before it is too late. After all, what is all that money going to be for if we will all no longer be around because we ignored the signs?
I am keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that the time we have left will be enough to save ourselves. I hope we can all turn things around.
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