Think Small, For Now

This past Friday was the Global Climate Strike, with some members of the Exeter community taking part through the Exeter Climate Lobby. Until very recently, I held what I believe is probably a popular opinion at Exeter, which is that the strike would largely be a waste of time and resources. However, after reading through some articles in the TIME magazine issue focusing solely on global warming and how we will fight it, I have to concede that this opinion is misguided at best and dangerous at worst.The first point that I want to note is that I would probably prioritize climate change as the largest threat to our country and our planet as a whole. I believe climate change to be a bigger issue than others because it is all-encompassing. Without addressing climate change, the economy will be highly unpredictable, losses in the U.S. alone will amount to trillions of dollars, and habitable land will disappear.Climate change also has the worst impact on those that are chronically disadvantaged. Those being impacted the most right now are small, island nations with little to no power on the global stage, forced to deal with a problem that they did almost nothing to contribute to. Those with wealth can generally afford to pack up and move to higher ground as oceans rise, but those without do not have the option. Poor laborers in Pakistan now have to deal with months of temperatures around 120 degrees, and Indonesia’s president is even planning to move the country’s capital to higher ground. There have been horrible food shortages within the Horn of Africa and droughts have led to more fighting. Northern Europe has seen permafrost melt, increasing risks of fires while waterways used for shipping have temporarily dried up and been shut down. In North America, where we’ve largely tried to ignore growing issues and the US recently lowered environmental protection standards, the viability of farmland in the Midwest is at risk and Mexico City is actually starting to sink into the ground. Global warming even ties back into feminist ideas – the U.N. has estimated that 80% of those displaced by climate change so far have been women. I’m sure that I do not need to mention all the horrible effects of global warming on the environment and biodiversity as coral reefs die, lakes dry out, and ecosystems become deeply unbalanced. Still, even with all this in mind, I was very reluctant to believe that a few students skipping class and walking around would actually lead to any change whatsoever. I see now that the important thing about these marches is the media attention and public attention that follows. As each of these problems spread to affect more people in serious ways, the greater public opinion will shift towards action. Everything that we can do to spread awareness earlier will help. I understand that most of us aren’t willing to fully invest time in doing these things. Many of us believe ourselves to be too busy preparing for college, leading clubs and even feeling that there isn’t much that one person can do. We don’t think that getting behind on schoolwork is worth the little that can be done at one of these marches. However, we don’t all need to take such large steps—praising the actions of those currently striking can ensure that they continue to pressure legislators. Instead, I would suggest simply being more aware of everyday activities. Many believe that turning off a light or saving one paper towel won’t do much, but it certainly won’t hurt. I acknowledge that businesses and government have a huge role to play in our fight against climate change but we can only wait for that change to come. Focusing on right now spreads hope for this cause and awareness in smaller but equally important pieces. Remind your friends to dry their hands with just one paper towel. Sort your recycling and compost correctly at Grill and around campus. Carry that plastic cup or any recyclable over to the closest recycling can rather than just tossing it in the trash.Saving the environment will even help you directly in the short term. You will save money by ordering fewer things online while also cutting down on your carbon footprint. Taking in only what you can eat at d-hall will help you eat healthier and cut down on our school’s food waste.Smaller actions in a big movement also matter. We need these baby steps to come together and foster more public attention before large, important changes can be made.