Photo of flooding in Bangladesh courtesy of The Melbourne Age
Climate Change is in the news every day. It means different things to different people. Here in New England, it means that we are concerned about the rising water temperature and the melting of the polar ice caps causing flooding of our coastal cities and properties. In some parts of the rest of the world it means so much more. The rising temperature of the earth and oceans is caused by human’s burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas) that emits carbon dioxide into the atmosphere “thickening” the blanket of heat trapping gases that in turn warm the planet. It is expected that these warming earth and ocean temperatures will most precipitously hurt the poorest of nations. Today’s New York Times article, talks about Bangladesh in particular that “produces just 0.3 percent of the emissions driving climate change.” Bangladesh and other developing nations in coastal areas will lose their homes completely, forcing them to relocate and are referred in the article as “climate migrants.” Connecting the dots on climate change is pretty easy. The United States and other wealthy nations are the largest polluters and contributors of climate change. We have a responsibility to curb our own emissions for the future and health of all nations.
Next week, W2O will host, along with the New England Aquarium, Women emPowered: Leading the future of clean and efficient energy. Come learn about what you can do in your own home and workplace to curb harmful emissions that contribute to this global issue. Every action, big or small can help.
