How Cooked are we Actually? - Connor Robinson

Connor Robinson 

Science Writing Seminar 

Essay #4 

How Cooked are we Actually? 

     I have been hearing my entire life about the dangers of climate change and how much of an issue it will be in the future. But now I am wondering how big of a threat it is and what is being done on a larger scale to prevent it. I have always tried to be mindful of small things that I can do such as recycling a water bottle or turning off a light when I leave a room. But does this even matter? Are these small acts putting even a slight dent in preventing climate change? Probably not, but at least they make me feel like I’m doing a good deed.  

The scary part about the timeline of climate change is that the devastating effects are happening currently. It’s not going to be some drastic shift that happens suddenly, these effects will occur over time and slowly destroy the Earth. NASA has stated that “glaciers and ice sheets are shrinking” and “plant and animal geographic ranges are shifting”. These effects that scientists predicted in the past are starting to occur. As for the future, sea levels are predicted to rise from 1 to 6.6 feet by 2100 due to melting land ice (NASA). There would be a domino effect from rising sea levels that would then also trigger many other natural disasters. Some of these disasters include wildfires, droughts, hurricanes, and heat waves. There would be lasting effects that would cause many changes such as forced migration to more suitable areas. Even in more suitable areas, there would still be an increase in temperature as it slowly continues to rise. With all these impacts that will be taking place in the future, there needs to be action taken to slow climate change down. 

     With the increase in renewable energy capacity in recent years, it has become a catalyst for the fight against climate change. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the renewable energy capacity “grew by 50% in 2023”. This means that new systems have been put in place that contain a larger amount of renewable energy. Solar panel systems took up a majority of these systems as they accounted for around three-quarters of the additions. Along with solar panel systems, onshore wind systems are also a big method being used. This consists of wind turbines that are found on land that produce energy. China has been leading the way as they “commissioned as much solar PV in 2023 as the entire world did in 2022” (International Energy Agency). The United States, Europe, and Brazil are also doing their parts as they also hit all-time highs in renewable energy usage. These numbers are expected to go up as there is a goal to reach triple the capacity by 2030 which was discussed at the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference. This can be done with the decrease of prices for these systems such as solar PV module prices decreasing by almost 50% in 2023.  
 The initiatives in place to combat climate change are a good start in this long battle, but more will need to be done to prevent massive changes. While individual actions may not drastically alter the course of global warming, they can contribute to raising awareness for the cause. These large-scale changes, such as the rapid expansion of renewable energy, are showing promise in reducing the effects that scientists predict. This fight is one that will be ongoing and will need as much contribution as possible. 

 

 

 

Works Cited 

International Energy Agency (IEA). “Massive Expansion of Renewable Power Opens Door to Achieving Global Tripling Goal Set at COP28.” IEA, 2024,   https://www.iea.org/news/massive-expansion-of-renewable-power-opens-door-to-     achievng-global-tripling-goal-set-at-cop28. Accessed 11 Mar. 2025. 

NASA. “The Effects of Climate Change.” NASA Science, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, https://science.nasa.gov/climate-change/effects/. Accessed 11 Mar. 2025. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Scaling the Potential of Vertical Farming Going into 2025 and Beyond

Image
  Matthew P Kearney Scaling the Potential of Vertical Farming Going into 2025 and Beyond      Vertical farming may seem like something out of a futuristic movie, but they are very real in today’s agricultural industry. Vertical farming may promote a stronger relationship between urbanization and sustainable crop production. Based on recent innovations across agriculture and technology, vertical farming has the potential to revolutionize our current farming system. Through the development of vertical farming-based production lines, cities and otherwise unfarmable areas can be provided with fresh, local, and pesticide-free produce. Vertical farming and other adaptations of agriculture are not new ideas, but instead a historic and human process.      These technologies are ready to meaningfully address global food security through the technological and computational advancements in agriculture. Vertical farming has a promising future, which becomes a case...
Read more

Knot Your Average Problem: How do Tongue Ties Impact Oral Myofunctional Health?

Image
  Hadia Hussain      Knot Your Average Problem: How do Tongue Ties Impact Oral Myofunctional Health? Sitting in the nursery of the dental office where I worked, I reviewed Baby V’s medical history and reports from the Emergency Department at Jersey City Medical Center. I found it odd that, despite multiple visits and clear signs of malnutrition, no physician had been able to diagnose the cause. Baby V, at a low weight of 12 pounds was struggling with difficulty nursing and bottle feeding, excessive gassiness, colic, clicking sounds when feeding, milk dribbling out of the mouth, and mouth breathing—but doctors had dismissed these signs, labeling him as "healthy."  It didn’t make sense as his low weight raised serious concerns.  According to Pediatric specialists Jenny Olson, DNP, and Sarha DeVrieze, ARNP, at the UnityPoint Clinic, a 9-month-old baby boy should weigh anywhere in between the range of 17 to 25 pounds. Baby V's situation was clearly a ...
Read more

Crisis to Care: NJ’s Battle with Addiction and Homelessness

Image
Vrinda Modi Crisis to Care: NJ’s Battle with Addiction and Homelessness      “Roll a rig!”, I hear over the radio a second after the tones drop. As an EMT in Hoboken, it's all too common for me to respond to at least one 911 call per shift for an individual under the influence passed out on the sidewalk—usually flagged by a concerned bystander or a police officer who believes they might need medical attention. More often than not, the real issue isn't just medical; it's societal. These individuals, often homeless, have become part of the city’s landscape, invisible to most but impossible to ignore. When I ask for their address, it's almost always the local shelter. When we arrive at the ER, we’re often greeted by familiar eye-rolls from disgruntled hospital staff. The ER clerk barely glances up, lets out a sigh, and asks, “Substance abuse?” I nod. “Who is it this time?” By now, the hospital staff know each chronic substance abuser in the city by name. Behind the hospit...
Read more