Cristian Carlos.
According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), climate change "is attributed directly or indirectly to human activities that alter the global composition of the atmosphere and to climate variability that has been compared to other time periods."
In recent years, the temperature of Planet Earth has increased significantly. This warming of the biosphere has caused floods, longer storm and hurricane seasons, earthquakes, and the melting of the poles.
Ethnic Media Services has therefore offered its space to give voice to specialists in favour of the existence of the climate change phenomenon that former President Donald Trump took care to deny during his presidency.
Ramón Cruz, president of the Sierra Club National Board of Directors, began the discussion by bringing up the issue of the U.S. government's environmental agenda: "85% of people are feeling the effects of climate change," he said.
Cruz also said that the role of science is crucial in making decisions and managing resources in favor of the environment, and therefore called on governments to heed environmental scientists who are warning about the harmful effects that threaten the planet. "The effort and money allocated to stop the effects of climate change are not being seen in different countries," he said.
He lamented that billionaires are "escaping to other planets," like Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla Motors, who use their resources far from the consequences for the environment.
For Alex de Sherbinin, associate director for Scientific Applications and senior research scientist at the Center for International Earth Science Information at Columbia University's Climate School, he noted that the consequences of climate change include an increase in natural disasters that ultimately result in migration.
De Sherbinin said that environmental hazards and “social vulnerability” put people at risk by forcing them to move from a place other than their places of origin, such as displacement, circular or permanent migration. “Migration is a systemic response to deal with problems such as climate change,” said De Sherbinin, adding: “Scientists agree that environmental change has contributed to population migration in the past and that this phenomenon is very likely to occur again in the future.”
Dana Johnson, WE ACT's Senior Director of Federal Strategy and Policy for Environmental Justice, noted that WE ACT is the first Black organization to end what she called "environmental racism" that originated in New York and has a permanent presence in Washington, D.C.
Johnson said that the goal of WE ACT is to give African-descendant and low-income people “the opportunity to meaningfully participate” in decisions made in their communities. In that sense, “environmental justice” is sought, ensuring that business owners and companies are aware of the adverse effects they cause to their surroundings, specifically to the environment and whether they perpetuate the pattern of economic inequality in their communities. With this, he said, the goal is to end dependence on fossil fuels and that, in reality, there are “false solutions” such as carbon capture and the use of biomass that will only create economic instability and delay the elimination of the use of fossil fuels.
