Department of Communication, University of Delaware
COMM706-610: Communication Theory
Last week, the director of health protection for the Mississippi State Department of Health reminded residents of Jackson, Mississippi to continue boiling water, as they have been for the past month, and also added that they should keep their mouths closed in the shower because the water is not safe.
This news is shocking, but not surprising. As the climate crisis continues, events like this are becoming more commonplace. Increasing global temperatures are a main contributor to the more severe droughts and floods that affect access to clean water (National Geographic Society, n.d.). In the case of Jackson, Mississippi, heavy rainfall led to flooding, which damaged the city’s water treatment facility, causing an already-struggling facility to fail.
We often talk about climate change as though it’s something that will be happening years from now. But, climate change isn’t something that’s coming. It’s something that’s already here. Events like we’re seeing in Mississippi are a harsh reminder of this. The EPA’s Fourth National Climate Assessment states that, “Earth’s climate is now changing faster than at any point in the history of modern civilization, primarily as a result of human activities,” and “climate-related risks will continue to grow without additional action (Jay et al., 1998).”
The effects of climate change will cause more severe storms, increased drought, food scarcity, increased disease, and hotter temperatures (United Nations, n.d.). If we don’t make major changes soon, by the end of the century, Texas could become flooded by rising seas. Many parts of the world will become too hot to even go outside (Rosen, 2021). In fact, according to Paleo-temperature evidence the warmest decades of the past 1,500 years have been between 1971–2000 (Vose et al., 2017).
But, there’s something we can do. From driving a car to using the microwave to playing video games, everything we do uses energy. In fact, the energy used to power vehicles and buildings contributes the largest amount of greenhouse gas emissions in the world (Isaacs-Thomas, 2022). By switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, we can make sure our energy sources are safer for the environment. Greenhouse gas emissions are reduced when we reduce fossil fuel demand (Gross, 2022).
While this is a huge task, it’s not impossible. In fact, many countries are already leading the way. Paraguay is currently running 100 percent on renewable energy. Costa Rica generates 99 percent of their electricity from a variety of renewable sources. Iceland generates almost all of their energy from renewable energy (Karthik, 2021). Countries like these give us hope and a roadmap forward as we work toward reducing our own fossil fuel usage.
References
Gross, S. (2022, August 4). The climate bill’s oil and gas provisions are a worthwhile tradeoff. Brookings. Retrieved September 2, 2022, from https://www.brookings.edu/blog/planetpolicy/2022/08/04/the-climate-bills-oil-and-gas-provisions-are-a-worthwhile-tradeoff/
Isaacs-Thomas, I. (2022, August 11). What the inflation reduction act does for green energy. PBS. Retrieved September 2, 2022, from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/what-the-inflation-reduction-act-does-for-green-energy
Jay, A., D.R. Reidmiller, C.W. Avery, D. Barrie, B.J. DeAngelo, A. Dave, M. Dzaugis, M. Kolian, K.L.M. Lewis, K. Reeves, and D. Winner, 2018: Overview. In Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States: Fourth National Climate Assessment, Volume II [Reidmiller, D.R., C.W. Avery, D.R. Easterling, K.E. Kunkel, K.L.M. Lewis, T.K. Maycock, and B.C. Stewart (eds.)]. U.S. Global Change Research Program, Washington, DC, USA, pp. 33–71. doi: 10.7930/NCA4.2018.CH1
Karthik. (2021, March 3). The countries that are closest to giving fossil fuels the Boot. Energy Matters. Retrieved September 3, 2022, from https://www.energymatters.com.au/renewable-news/the-countries-that-are-closest-to-giving-fossil-fuels-the-boot/
National Geographic Society. (n.d.). How climate change impacts water access. National Geographic Society. Retrieved September 2, 2022, from https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/how-climate-change-impacts-water-access
Rosen, J. (2021, November 6). The Science of Climate Change Explained: Facts, Evidence and Proof. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/article/climate-change-global-warming-faq.html#link-34bd0de2
United Nations. (n.d.). Climate Action Fast Facts. United Nations. Retrieved September 3, 2022, from https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/key-findings#physical-science
Vose, R.S., D.R. Easterling, K.E. Kunkel, A.N. LeGrande, and M.F. Wehner, 2017: Temperature changes in the United States. In: Climate Science Special Report: Fourth National Climate Assessment, Volume I [Wuebbles, D.J., D.W. Fahey, K.A. Hibbard, D.J. Dokken, B.C. Stewart, and T.K. Maycock (eds.)]. U.S. Global Change Research Program, Washington, DC, USA, pp. 185-206, doi: 10.7930/J0N29V45.