Scientists Take Climate Change Into Their Own Hands

After Donald Trump was elected president, there was talk from the elite American scientists in our country regarding the concern that science was being pushed aside. Recently, Trump made the statement that he did not believe in climate change and that provoked an uproar from scientists and many other concerned individuals. After this, scientists, like Michael Eisen, an evolutionary biologist, started taking to Twitter and other social media sites, as stated in an article in the New York Times, to voice their concerns and try and take matters into their own hands in order to let the public know how real climate change is. Some may think that scientists are being too dramatic and taking this issue too far, but I believe it has come to the point where scientists have to be dramatic.

Climate change is just one example of an environmental problem that is affecting our planet, and it is not a new thing. Scientists, politicians and the public have been speaking out about climate change for many years now, but nothing concrete has ever been put into action to help prevent it. Now with a new president in office, who is saying he does not believe in climate change, it seems as if the progress scientists made alerting the public has taken two steps back. In the last 20 years, we have seen sea levels rise seventeen centimeters, warmer oceans by 0.302 degrees Fahrenheit and ice sheets shrinking up to 250 cubic kilometers, according to NASA. But as this evidence has increased, our focus on climate change has declined. We have been pushing the fear of climate change to the side and that is why Trump needs to stand up and make this a focal point before we let it get out of our hands. Trump and other politicians do not realize the danger of climate change because it seems impossible that something terrible could stem from it during our lifetime. It is very possible that if we do not do something about climate change, it could affect us directly during our lifetime.

At this point in our social and political climate, scientists have the right to take a stance on what we as a country need to focus on in order to protect our planet. As a young college student, I am surrounded by many students who speak out about their concerns on climate change and many other environmental problems, but the people in power are blind to seriousness of the issues. If politicians are not going to do what’s necessary to protect our environment, scientists should stand up and let our country know what we need to do in order to save our planet. Although Twitter and other social media accounts may seem like an insignificant way to voice their concerns, it is an easy way to reach a variety of age groups. Some may say that scientists are being too dramatic or acting like they have too much power, but they are the ones who know what is right and what is wrong. Trump does not have enough scientific knowledge to make a statement that climate change is not real, especially while the top scientists in the world are telling him that it is actually a big threat. The threat of climate change is a big issue in this country and scientists have every right to speak out about what our country really needs to focus on in order to keep our planet alive.