photo credit: Nghiem Pham
Within the past 44 years, mainly the past decade, the number of natural disasters per year in the United States has skyrocketed. According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, between the 2010s and the 2020s, the average number of natural disasters in America per year increased from 13.1 to 23.
Even more alarmingly, this number, compared to the average of natural disasters per year in the nation in the 2000s (6.7), has more than tripled. This can mostly be attributed to the rising global temperatures in recent years.
The New York Times reported the increasing concern of researchers and scientists around the world as a result of 2024 being the hottest year on record with the average temperature reaching more than 1.5 degrees Celsius hotter than the late 19th century average. Global warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius was said to be the threshold before a point of no return.
The effects of this broken threshold in 2024 were evident through the natural disasters experienced not only in the United States but globally as well. The United States Geological Survey explains how rising temperatures decrease the temperature differences between the poles and the equator contributing to higher wind speeds and ocean temperatures that cause more tropical storms.
It’s evident that we’ve reached a point where cutting carbon emissions to diminish climate change should be a global priority. However, nations are not doing enough to promote clean energy and sustainability efforts.
Despite 196 countries coming together to sign the Paris Agreement in 2015, whose main goal was to limit global temperatures from increasing past the 1.5-degree threshold, the threshold was broken less than a decade later, and temperatures continue to rise. The United States especially lacks urgency to curb global warming as President Trump withdrew the nation from the Paris Agreement via executive order on Jan. 20.
As one of the most powerful and developed nations on Earth, it is imperative that America leads by example and prioritizes clean energy transitions in the country to slow climate change and reduce its effects. According to Global Carbon Atlas, the United States was second in carbon dioxide emissions in 2023.
Forbes reports that America has the 10th highest GDP per capita in the world, yet we are barely making efforts to transition into a clean energy economy. America continues to build pipelines and invest in oil recently noticeable through Biden’s approval of the Willow Project.
The United States could easily shift to mostly rely on clean energy by 2050 if Portugal which has less GDP per capita is projected to have net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Additionally, America should be sponsoring other countries economically to facilitate the transition to clean energy.
One of the main reasons why China and India, both less developed countries than the United States, refused to back the goal of the 2015 Paris Agreement was because they thought working to limit carbon emissions in their countries would hinder their development. Similarly, many low-income countries felt it was unfair for them to take the brunt of the blame for rising global temperatures when it was high grossing countries who produced the majority of emissions, as stated by the New York Times.
Economic support from developed nations such as the United States would facilitate developing and lower-income countries to diminish their carbon emissions. As a result, the Earth would benefit from a quicker reduction of global warming and more habitable conditions.
I urge you to become informed on what our national and local governments are doing to promote clean energy initiatives and vote for officials who prioritize sustainability and Earth-conscious policies.
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