Until Oct. 7, most of the world could see climate change as a distant threat that would not cause us any harm in our lifetime. This changed, or hopefully changed, when the UN released a report that stated we will feel the effects of global warming as soon as 2040. It is no longer the next generation’s problem. It is our problem and it is approaching quickly. 

This statement is haunting and should push action in much of the world’s population. It speaks about food shortages, wildfires and the death of our coral reefs. It is an unprecedented report that demands action. The authors found that the major effects of the warming of the earth will happen at a raise of 2.7-degree Fahrenheit, which is much larger than scientists originally thought. To put this in perspective, a half-degree change makes the likelihood of an ice-free summer in the artic 10 times greater according to a New York Times report. A jump from our 1.8-degree warmth to a 2.7-degree warmth would be destructive to all aspects of the earth from the coasts to our crops.

It is hard to understand why anybody would not be in favor of moving towards a solution, yet it still happens. President Donald Trump has famously withdrawn from the Paris Agreement, and recently claimed that while something is happening, the climate might “change back again.” The blatant disregard for science and the findings of what could happen to our planet is angering. There is clear evidence that we must make drastic changes to slow down what is happening. Prevention as a whole is out of the picture for the time being because of our ignorance of the issue. 

As it stands right now, we have 12 years to fix the problems we created. This will take an intense effort from every country. A tax on carbon emissions is a key way that we can begin. The New York Times report said that coal as a source of electricity must drop from 40 percent to 7 percent or less. While this will cost us financially, we must make that sacrifice to fix what we caused. Money only matters today, but the state of our earth matters every day and will continue to matter every day. There will be no money to make if crops cannot survive or if large cities fall into the ocean under rising sea water, but money is a sacrifice most companies are not willing to make if there is no immediate reward. 

This is the biggest issue at play when climate change is ignored. We rarely feel the effects now, so we would rather choose the path with the immediate reward. Such as using coal and making large sums of money. For us to start working towards saving the planet, we must think more in terms of delayed gratification. It is true that the normal person rarely feels what climate change is doing to the earth, but they will soon enough, and actions today can stop that. Placing a higher importance on the fate of the planet over money knowing it will pay off is the mindset we all must have for any progress to be made. 

The timeline to save our planet is shrinking more and more each day. The people in power undeniably are the ones who will decide whether the earth survives or not, and from experience it seems that they will continue to help the timeline shrink unless we change the way we think.