As a child, I loved science. I sat upright in class, and got 100 percent on every test. Every day, I would beg my mom to take me to the Carnegie Science Center. When she occasionally agreed, I would spend hours looking at every exhibit. To a nerdy kid like me, it was heaven.
However, my absolute favorite exhibits were the demonstrations dedicated to meteorology. I can still remember this one display; it simulated a tornado. You could press certain buttons to make the tornado weaker or stronger, thinner or wider. I thought it was the coolest thing in the whole world.
As the years went by, I attended the museum less and less. Because of school, sports, and other activities, I didn't have as much time to visit what was then my "happy place." But I remember one specific time I came back. I was in fourth grade. We were going on our yearly field trip. That year, we went to the Science Center to watch a movie on the IMAX screen about the world's weather, especially natural disasters. Hurricanes, tornados, that kind of stuff. I was captivated throughout the entire film. But, the most memorable part was at the end. The last 20 minutes or so of the movie was dedicated to how climate changed had impacted our world's weather.
They showed footage of destroyed homes, flooding, and dying coral reefs. It absolutely broke my heart. I didn't know what else to do, so I learned everything I could about climate change. I read every article and book I could get my hands on. I made it my mission to help our planet in any way I could.
Now, I still do my best to educate myself and others on climate change. Fortunately, in the past few years, the conversation around climate change has flourished. There have been countless research projects, conversations, seminars, conventions, and campaigns dedicated to climate science and raising awareness about global warming. In fact, the topic has become so prominent it even comes into play in politics and foreign affairs.
But, many do not realize that climate change has a disproportionate effect on some groups of people. One of these groups is our elderly community.
In order to understand why this is, here is a brief description of climate change. I realize many are familiar with this topic, but I wanted to include this just in case.
Once mankind began to utilize fossil fuels ( fossil fuels are hydrocarbons, primarily coal, fuel oil, or natural gas, formed from the remains of dead plants and animals. Science Daily ), there was an increase of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere. "Greenhouse Gases" include methane, nitrous oxide, and carbon dioxide. These gases trap Earth's heath, similar to the way a greenhouse does. Because of the sheer amount of greenhouse gas that has been emitted into the atmosphere, the Earth is warming at an alarming rate. In fact, the Earth's average temperature has risen by around 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit.
But why does this matter? The American Society On Aging says it best, "For older adults, the changing climate brings a heightened vulnerability to environmental risks, which include extreme weather events, exacerbated vector-borne diseases, compromised agriculture, reduced availability of fresh water, and decreased habitability of human population centers. Older people are more vulnerable to the effects of temperature extremes and have a significantly higher mortality risk in extreme weather events. The older population is also at greater risk because of increased susceptibility to disease and to the effects of stresses on the food and water supply, and reduced ability to mobilize quickly."
Some other groups will be disproportionately affected. These groups include women, children, low-income neighborhoods, young people as well as a number of other vulnerable people.
I fight for climate action because I care about these groups. And, I think as a member of this organization, it's my responsibility to fight climate change in any way, no matter how big or how small.
As always, feel free to reach out with any questions or comments. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!
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