As President Biden begins his first 100 days, many people are wondering what his approach toward climate change will be. Biden has already rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement, an international initiative towards decreasing fossil fuel emissions. However many people are against America spending billions of dollars on stopping climate change, and some don’t believe that climate change is real. But climate change is a real crisis that we need to prevent and take action on by investing in renewable energy and taking global initiative.

There has been a lot of research that strongly supports the existence of climate change. According to Nasa, the planet’s average surface temperature has risen about 2.12 degrees Fahrenheit (1.18 degrees Celsius) since the late 19th century, a change largely caused by increased carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. Most of the warming occurred in the past 40 years, with the seven most recent years being the warmest. According to royalsociety.org, greenhouse gases that are emitted as a result of human activity throw off Earth’s energy balance and cause climate change. This greenhouse effect has been caused by human development since the Industrial Age, increasing atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. 

The effects of climate change pose serious risks to humanity. According to Nasa.gov,  climate change will lead to higher temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, more droughts and heatwaves, increased strength in hurricanes, and rising sea levels. Wildfires have also become more common and deadly in areas such as California and Australia. Climate change has also caused locust plagues in Africa and Asia, decimating crops and causing many to go hungry. Heavy rains caused by climate change provide perfect breeding conditions for locusts, allowing them to reproduce and wreak havoc easily. Pollution through the usage of fossil fuels has also become a very infamous effect on global populations. Pollution in cities such as New Delhi and Beijing has caused smog and very unhealthy quality of air. Mortality rates have increased alongside levels of pollution. People are more likely to experience chronic headaches, eye irritation, and skin irritation in polluted environments.

Although most people believe in climate change, many are reluctant to stop it because they believe that fighting climate change will be very difficult and expensive. However, investing in renewable energy is both a helpful and practical solution. Solar and wind technology is becoming more and more advanced, and the cost continues to go down. People will also begin to save money in the long run because once built, renewable energy sources don’t require much upkeep. Also, the negative effects of climate change, in the long run, will cause countries more money in damage than it will take to prevent it. As sea levels rise, more people will be forced to become refugees, and the world will face an international housing crisis.

Although there is no one solution to climate change, governments can take the first step by trying to decrease fossil fuel emissions. Governments should subsidize electric cars and invest in renewable sources of energy for almost all permanent buildings including schools, hospitals, police and fire department buildings, etc. We should also slowly transition into solar and wind power in cities. We also need to build on the Paris Climate Agreement and take more preventive measures globally through international cooperation or through the United Nations.