Logan is a 10th-grader from Virginia. The name of her high school has been changed to "Evergreen High School" for privacy reasons.
While many of us at Evergreen High School may come to the conclusion that climate change is real, many people around the world may disagree. According to one study, 14% of Americans believe there is no solid evidence of our earth's rising temperatures and another 26% believe that humans contribute very little to nothing at all to the increase in the climate's temperatures. While everyone is entitled to their own opinions and beliefs, it is important to learn about why people hold differing opinions and beliefs and educate ourselves. This can help us come to the most educated understanding of important topics, like climate change. One common view regarding the state of our climate is that it is simply a part of earth's natural cycle and it is out of our control. While many do not deny the change in climate, many believe that this change is due to natural climate cycles the earth experiences and is not something that the governments should be addressing at all. Some people, with more extreme opinions on climate change do not believe that the climate is changing whatsoever. Over 65% of people who do not believe in climate change additionally do not trust climate scientists, believing that they have a political or economical agenda. “From a personal standpoint,” said one woman from the midwest, “whether it’s the climate or anything else, when the statements are too large … like when the statements are, ‘The world is getting warmer and Earth is going to be ended in five years because we’re all terrible humans and we throw trash on the ground.’ Those things cause me to be, instead of causing me to be concerned, it causes me to be more skeptical about where the information is coming from and why it’s being presented in such a grandiose term, for lack of a better word.” This woman feels as though an exaggerated and dramatic agenda is being pushed, causing skepticism in its accuracy. While you may agree or disagree with some of the statements above, it is important to learn and try to understand differing perspectives in order to create a more cohesive, educated society.
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