In recent weeks, fires around the Los Angeles area have destroyed more than 16,000 homes and buildings and resulted in 29 deaths. Globally, climate-related hazards contributed to 26.4 million human displacements in 2023 alone, a number that continues to increase as the globe heats up. More than half of the world’s coral reefs have been lost since 1950, disrupting key marine ecosystems and ocean oxygen production. The seas are expected to rise a foot due to thermal expansion of the oceans and the melting of icebergs at unprecedented levels, threatening the displacement of more than 410 million people. Last year was the hottest on record, reaching temperatures more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. This surpasses the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s recommended limit to prevent irreversible tipping points and runaway warming, in which positive feedback loops accelerate the rate of climate change beyond the capacity of human control. The issue of climate change is more important than ever, and no one is coming to save us.
Yet, among issues that voters cared about during the 2024 election, climate change was low on the list. According to a Pew Research Center poll, among many key issues — including abortion, the economy, foreign policy, gun policy and immigration — climate change ranked the lowest. More specifically, 62% of Harris supporters and just 11% of Trump supporters considered the issue to be a “very important” factor in their voting choice for the 2024 election. Additionally, the issue of climate change was largely absent from presidential and vice presidential debates, despite the Biden administration’s landmark Inflation Reduction Act being the most significant piece of U.S. climate legislation to date.
This needs to change. Climate change must play a more central role in political discourse, influencing legislative priorities, election platforms, and congressional dialogue. It is imperative that we push for our politicians to view climate change as the existential threat that it truly is, rather than constantly pushing it under the rug and subordinating it to other issues.
So, why do many Americans not seem to care about climate change? Is it because they do not think the issue is real? That may be part of the problem. According to the Pew Research Center, approximately 14% of Americans believe that no evidence exists that the Earth is warming, despite clear scientific consensus on unprecedented carbon dioxide concentrations and temperature levels. Just 46% believe human activity is the primary cause of global warming, again contradicting widespread scientific evidence and agreement. Americans tend to distrust climate media outlets, assuming they are exaggerating the scale of the emergency. In large part, many Americans feel that other issues are more directly relevant to them, prioritizing shorter-term over long-term concerns. This may involve a phenomenon entitled the “Tragedy of the Commons,” when individuals sharing a common resource — in this case, the Earth — overexploit it, assuming their contributions will be marginal and others in the group will resolve any issues. Ultimately, this mindset results in collective inaction by failing to foster mutual accountability.
Contrary to popular belief, pro-environmental policies do not necessarily trade off with resolving shorter-term social and economic issues. In fact, continued, rampant climate change will actually hurt the economy, causing the United States to lose between one and four percent of its GDP by the end of the century as a result of impacts to mortality, labor and the energy sector. On the other hand, there is massive economic opportunity in pursuing renewable energy and a greener future for the planet. While implementation of renewable energy can have high costs at the outset, shifting to renewable energy — such as solar panels and wind turbines — can have long-term financial benefits, including lower monthly energy bills for homeowners. Nuclear energy has large potential as well. For example, the U.S. nuclear power industry in 2022 generated approximately $15.9 billion in tax revenue, a number which, if expanded, could substantially reduce ballooning government deficits. A green transition also has broad macroeconomic potential to create jobs and drive innovation. In the U.S., 3.5 million citizens currently work in renewable energy jobs, which are growing in number at more than twice the rate of the overall U.S. labor market. In addition in 2023, clean energy accounted for 10% of global GDP growth. These contributions were especially pronounced in the European Union and China, representing 30% and 21% of GDP growth, respectively. U.S. citizens should look toward the economic success of these nations — success that has occurred alongside and entwined with progress on climate change — and recognize that economic growth and environmental sustainability are not mutually exclusive. A similar transition will be critical if we are to not fall behind in the geopolitical climate.
Substantial progress on climate change must occur from the top down, starting with government action. Just 100 companies around the world are responsible for 71% of global emissions. The majority of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions come from transportation, electricity production and industry. All of these sectors will likely continue to enact similar levels of fossil fuel combustion absent federal regulation.
We, especially as young people, need to open our eyes, look outside and see what is going on around us — from infrastructure being incinerated by wildfires in California to hurricanes devastating entire communities in Florida. As Dartmouth students, we have recognized the severity of this issue at a much higher proportion than the national average. In a 2024 poll conducted by The Dartmouth, climate change ranked as the second most important issue to students, falling just short of the economy. As the future leaders of this world, we must leverage our knowledge of climate change as a major threat before it is too late. Through our future roles as activists, chemists, engineers, lawyers, politicians and everything in between, we have the potential to change the world. We can pioneer innovative geoengineering solutions. We can influence critical legislation. Until then, we should continue to convince others to recognize the importance of climate change and introduce the issue into more of our political discourse — whether by lobbying local policy leaders, participating in advocacy campaigns or even encouraging bipartisan discussions about sustainable solutions at dinner table conversations with friends or family.
Americans should care more about the climate, especially when formulating their political decisions. This should not be a partisan issue — the future of our home and the only planet in the universe known to support life is at stake.
Opinion articles represent the views of their author(s), which are not necessarily those of The Dartmouth.