Our generation has grown up seeing the effects of climate change, such as droughts, forest fires, and rising sea levels. We are still experiencing these effects because the mistakes of past generations still remain unsolved. And since we are left with a world in ruin, and no easy way to fix it, we must think of all the challenges that we will face moving forward, and what we can do to possibly solve them.

After decades of research, scientists are confident that rising temperatures are caused by greenhouse gasses, which trap heat in the atmosphere. When the planet becomes warmer, sea levels rise, and catastrophic events like forest fires, droughts, and floods become more frequent. But those are just a few consequences of our careless human activities.

Remember the great toilet paper crisis of 2020? As foolish as it was, it showed us that resources are limited. And when resources are limited, people get left behind. 

Now apply that on a larger scale. The Earth is running out of nonrenewable resources, and the demand for those resources is rising, which means that eventually, we will run out of them.

Experts say that we will run out of natural gas in about 52 years, our oil reserves will be depleted in 50 years, and our freshwater will disappear in about 17 years. To solve this, we need to invest more into renewable resources, like solar panels and electric vehicles. If we do this, we might adapt ahead of time, or even avoid some of these disasters altogether.

You may have heard that in the future, we will see more diseases, more severe weather, more hurricanes, and more volcanic eruptions. But you wouldn’t hear that in 2020, because that year was a vast improvement for the environment. Due to the lockdowns, the air quality improved, levels of harmful chemicals in the air dropped, and animals began reclaiming the earth. 

But the lockdowns also showed us how ignorant society can become when facing a crisis. Remember all those videos of people fighting over toilet paper? Now imagine what will happen if people start fighting over bottled water. Or gasoline. Or breathable air. 

So what should we do moving forward? That depends on where you live. We Californians need to be ready for the fire season every year. Even if you don’t live near any forests, you should still be prepared to deal with the dangers of wildfire smoke.

Since we live in Southern California, we will get to be the first to see the effects of rising sea levels, since experts say that much of Southern California is projected to go underwater if we continue down the same path. But if you were planning on moving to an island, you might want to reconsider, because they might cease to exist as well. 

And since it looks like everything is going to burn or go underwater, you should probably go outside and literally touch some grass, because enjoying the outdoors is the best way to appreciate nature while you still can.

Remember that climate change doesn’t care about whether we think it’s real or not. This is precisely the main theme in the popular science fiction comedy movie, Don’t Look Up. If you haven’t watched it yet, I highly suggest you do, because although it is a satire, it accurately summarizes the current state of the world.