Last week, Texas had a historical winter storm with record low temperatures and snowfall, leading to power outages all across the state. Millions of Texans were without power for three to six days, leaving them in the cold with little to no resources to keep them warm. This is something Texans weren’t expecting and weren’t prepared for. Unprecedented weather and storms are predicted to get more frequent and more violent due to the fast approaching consequences of climate change. In the next 50 years, the irreversible effects of global warming are expected to cause more tropical and winter weather storms, rising oceans, and so much more.
Focusing on Texas, they are one of the largest users and producers of natural gas like petroleum, crude oil, and coal. The use of these energy sources has a direct link to climate change and the warming of our atmosphere. With the effects of climate change starting to show their ugly head all around the globe, it’s time to start pursuing green and renewable energy. Some examples would be driving electric cars, switching to an environmentally conscious diet, using exclusively green energy, drastically reducing our international food wastage, and many more.
The usage of nonrenewable energy produces gases like methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide, which get caught in our atmosphere absorbing the sun’s radiation, and causes our atmosphere to warm. The temperature increase is slight, but enough to cause the destruction of our planet. This is called the greenhouse effect. In order to stop the detrimental causes of climate change, we need to change the way we live. We need to start putting our Earth’s health at a top priority. Ending the use of nonrenewable energy such as coal, crude oil, and natural gas and start using green and renewable energy such as solar, wind, water, and, hopefully, in the near future, nuclear fusion is vital in maintaining a stable environment.
The damage from Texas’s winter storm will cost at least $45 billion in total from wage losses to property damage, and more destruction will happen if we continue to act like this wasn’t caused by climate change. It will cost the United States billions and maybe even trillions of dollars federally to switch and help citizens switch entirely to green energy, however, the exclusive use of environmentally friendly energy sources will help us maintain our planet’s current state and put a stop to the irreversible effects of a warming planet in the near future. This switch needs to be done sooner rather than later if we want to live comfortably on Earth in the next 100 years. Scientists say that we have less than 20 years to make a drastic change in how we live and consume energy, so we must start this mission now!
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