There are eight known planets in our solar system, but only one holds the fragile balance of life.

From Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) to carbon emissions, the public has heard diverse theories on why our invaluable planet is subject to climate change.

Within the past 13 years, the Earth has experienced the hottest temperatures in recorded history. In fact, it’s seen the hottest temperatures in linear succession. This proves to be undeniable evidence that we’re doing something wrong, so what have our leaders done about it?

On March 28, President Trump announced his executive order intelligently titled “An America First Energy Plan.” He mentions the Climate Action Plan and the Waters of the U.S. regulations, and deems them a limiting factor for the success of American workers. Trump also advocates for the production of Clean Coal energy. While it seems like Trump’s administration is doing something productive for once, this executive order only causes more problems.

It’s common knowledge that the burning of coal creates excess amounts of carbon dioxide, a facilitator for heat retention in the atmosphere. This has been proven by over five decades of climate research and accepted by upwards of 90 percent of scientists. Trump’s administration denies it.

Out of all of Trump’s false facts and attacks at science, this is the most disturbing. Fifty years of academic research, proven by a wide range of scientists hailing from various institutions, was immediately denied when this man was inaugurated. This egotistical denial which negatively impacts people is par of course at this point, but it needs to stop.

Now.

The most popular argument of Trump’s is that climate change is a fear-driven hoax originating from various nefarious organizations to bend the will of the American people. That’s quite a statement from the man who tells us to fear people of certain ethnicities and certain religions based solely on the actions of a few.

Administrators of Trump’s EPA have also claimed that there is no such thing as clean energy or that any form of energy production will pollute the Earth in some way. While this is true, alternative energy sources will at the very least harbor less of a negative impact on our planet in the short term, giving us time to formulate new solutions.
This impacts all of humanity in the sense that this is our one chance. There’s no replacement planet and although we’ve begun to explore other worlds for colonization, Earth is invaluable. It’s the only planet where we can survive without artificial life support.

Mars doesn’t have anything like the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone. And in a practical sense, it takes more equipment and money to live on Mars.

What needs to happen is earlier education on climate change. It needs to be ingrained within the minds of our youth so there’s no possibility of it being used as a flimsy political ideal. We need to show all of our students that this is proven. We need to educate them on the value of Earth. The only way to do this is implement some sort of required curriculum in which these issues are addressed.

This is a matter that applies to everyone, whether their political party sees it that way or not. There’s no such thing as clean coal, clean natural gas, even clean hydroelectricity.

Wind farms don’t actively seek to murder eagles and the rest of our avian wildlife.