being a prominent figure among ethnic minorities, Martin Luther King Jr., as evidenced by his support of sanitation workers in Memphis, supported any cause which he saw as worthy. What he saw worth in; however, was not just the poor, the minorities, the disenfranchised, or the oppressed, but those who he saw as being slighted of true justice and true equality. Perhaps this mentality is what drove him to comment on environmental protection—a cause which not only affects minorities or the poor, but one which affects the world in the most unjust way. “By undermining or degrading humanity, we also undermine or degrade our ability to protect the environment.” When Martin Luther King Jr. issued this statement, he captured the spirit behind fighting
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To those few, the following stand: global average temperatures have increased by 1.7 degrees Fahrenheit since 1880, nine of the ten warmest years on record have occurred since the year 2000, land ice is decreasing at a rate of 280.1 gigatons per year, and sea levels are rising at a rate of 3.4 mm per year. These are all significant signs of climate change on a global scale over a very short period. During the same period, carbon dioxide levels have risen to 405.25 parts per million—the highest they have been in 650,000 years per ice core and soil samples (Global Climate Change). Furthermore, human carbon dioxide emissions dwarf those of any natural process or construct (including volcanos) at a staggering 26.8 billion tons in 2003 alone (Which produces more CO2, volcanic or human activity?). Now, any good skeptic and scientist knows that correlation is not necessarily causation; however, scientists agree that in this instance it does as planets such as Mars have demonstrated similar changes due to increased carbon dioxide in the …show more content…
How do we continue to work towards Martin Luther King’s dream of a better world?
As of right now, the two biggest contributors to our carbon dioxide emissions are first power plants, and a distant, but not unworthy of mentioning, second: transportation (Climate Change: Basic Information). Thus, the best solution is twofold: first we alter the way we get energy for electricity, and second, we base our transportation around this new infrastructure.
The primary solution to preventing further damage due to climate change is to switch out our dirtier methods of producing electricity, such as burning coal, the world leader in energy producers, to alternative energies. These would include anything and everything that produces heat or motion such as wind, solar, hydroelectric, and nuclear
To those few, the following stand: global average temperatures have increased by 1.7 degrees Fahrenheit since 1880, nine of the ten warmest years on record have occurred since the year 2000, land ice is decreasing at a rate of 280.1 gigatons per year, and sea levels are rising at a rate of 3.4 mm per year. These are all significant signs of climate change on a global scale over a very short period. During the same period, carbon dioxide levels have risen to 405.25 parts per million—the highest they have been in 650,000 years per ice core and soil samples (Global Climate Change). Furthermore, human carbon dioxide emissions dwarf those of any natural process or construct (including volcanos) at a staggering 26.8 billion tons in 2003 alone (Which produces more CO2, volcanic or human activity?). Now, any good skeptic and scientist knows that correlation is not necessarily causation; however, scientists agree that in this instance it does as planets such as Mars have demonstrated similar changes due to increased carbon dioxide in the …show more content…
How do we continue to work towards Martin Luther King’s dream of a better world?
As of right now, the two biggest contributors to our carbon dioxide emissions are first power plants, and a distant, but not unworthy of mentioning, second: transportation (Climate Change: Basic Information). Thus, the best solution is twofold: first we alter the way we get energy for electricity, and second, we base our transportation around this new infrastructure.
The primary solution to preventing further damage due to climate change is to switch out our dirtier methods of producing electricity, such as burning coal, the world leader in energy producers, to alternative energies. These would include anything and everything that produces heat or motion such as wind, solar, hydroelectric, and nuclear