It was a peculiar sight to the Lehigh community when it returned after spring break to find a campus blanketed with snow.
It was a reminder of the erratic weather patterns that have prompted raised eyebrows from the general public over the past few years. And even though one storm or a recent pattern of storms does not alone prove anything about our world, the winds have been whispering to us that we need to act — our climate is changing.
The weather plays a hit role in the environment’s blockbuster. It is not the only thing affected by climate change, but it is the most easily perceived one by the common person.
But what about experts and corporations? Surely they don’t need to rely on such glaring sensory cues to keep their attention focused on preserving the planet.
The truth is, they know all about the dangers facing us, including rising sea levels, wildfires and the deterioration of the ozone layer. Scientists have been discussing the topic for over a century, with major evidence in the open since the ’80s. Even worse, big corporations like ExxonMobil knew about their harmful effects on the environment before that.
What power does the average person have when professionals have refused to correct a problem that has been in the news for so long? What can a Lehigh student do?
The cliché answer of “making sure you do your part” is not enough for us. One person making a half-hearted attempt to recycle is going to be the last thing that will save our world. When there are 90 companies that have accounted for the majority of the world’s carbon footprint, we need policy change.
A grassroots movement can only do so much to drive change when policy refuses to catch up. However, when changes are made in the law to restrict big corporations from polluting at will and to encourage citizens to be part of the solution, the blooming possibility of hope can appear.
But we are far from it.
President Donald Trump’s proposed budget re-prioritizes many things, but the biggest cut in terms of percentage comes from the Environmental Protection Agency. This group plays an essential role in providing regulations that prevent corporations from harming the planet more than they already have.
The worst part is that Trump’s radical stance is creating more of a compromise in this budget. During his campaign he said he would like to terminate the EPA, and a bill introduced by a Florida congressman would do so as early as 2018.
As a developed nation, this course of action is pathetic when compared to efforts being made by some countries who are much less well off. For example, in late February, Kenya banned the use of plastic bags.
So while other areas of the globe are doing their part, the United States is taking steps backward. And as students, we are powerless. It seems we’re always being given generic advice to do our part by recycling more and driving less.
The only thing we can do is resist the urge to let our government’s policy of prioritizing economic competition over our global future trickle down and pollute our minds. We must be ready to really do our part when policy catches up with reality.
Now that these notions are out in the open, there is no escaping the challenges we face. And hopefully, each March flake that reminds us of our situation will be a catalyst of change to come.
2 Comments
The Brown & White board has demonstrated the brainwashing you have received from your liberal professors & public school teachers.
March snowstorms have been a fact of life at Lehigh since I was a student there in the 60’s. Climate change has been happening in the world long before mankind created fossil fuel as evidenced by the end of the ice age.
Scientists in the 70’s warned of an impending global cooling cycle then they all marched to global warming when Al Gore started funding University studies to justify his politically motivated theory as a reason to create CAFE standards for the automotive industry.
More legislation around global climate change(when global warming didn’t pan out) is a mistake to promote unless you want to start by first eliminating cars by students on campus. Then you can take the next step to shut down all building lighting & heat/AC from 10pm to 7am every day on campus. Let this crusade start with you before you attempt to thrust this bogus theory of man made climate change on America!!
I agree with much of what Patriot2 has written. March snow in eastern PA has not been that rare. I can even recall an mid-March 8 inch snowfall in Atlanta. Cold air and moist air often meet in March. I believe there is a approximately 10,000 year cycle in which the earth cools down slowly and then warms up rather quickly due to a natural release of carbor dioxide. I do believe that the release of carbon dioxide from oxidation and the lower use of carbon dixoxide due to deforestation will hasten the normal cycle. This hastening will cause changes which animals and plants may not be able to cope with. These coping problems will probably cause additional problems for humans. Humans, if they co-operate, can probably solve problems that specifically affect them. If they co-operate!
The editorial board states: “The cliché answer of “making sure you do your part” is not enough for us. One person making a half-hearted attempt to recycle is going to be the last thing that will save our world.” Sentence two is undoubtably true. I think sentence one is true, seeminly unrealistic, but true. If everyone was willing to pay for a solution, it would become reality. I don’t see it happening. It seems hard to get everyone to recycle, which is normally at no monetary cost to the individual. Most are unwilling to make even the minimal effort to recycle.
Selfishly, global warming may inundate Philadelphia but Bethlehem would be closer to a beach and have a milder temperature. When the cycle turns cold, remember the glacier stopped about 20 miles north of town.
The programs at Lehigh and other educational institutions the teach people how to co-operate for the benefit of others are the best way to insure a propitious future for all. We must co-operate when short term disasters such as flooding, fires, blizzards etc. That should be good practice for possible global disasters. Our country has been fairly successful at handling crises. Can we be successful at preventing them?
I know that Norfolk Southern has environmental programs such as planting forest land. I am sure many other corporations do likewise. Coaxing companies to do more to protect the environment is better than forcing them to do so. In the years to come Lehigh graduates will probably be in a significant position to have positive impacts on the environment.
Comment Policy
Comments posted to The Brown and White website are reviewed by a moderator before being approved. Incendiary speech or harassing language, including comments targeted at individuals, may be deemed unacceptable and not published. Spam and other soliciting will also be declined.
The Brown and White also reserves the right to refuse the publication of entirely anonymous comments.