The Sky is Falling and America Hasn't Noticed

More than six years after the Kyoto Protocol entered into force, every country with a major land mass has signed it. Except one: the United States of America.

Why, after all these years, are we still so stubborn to sign the treaty? It doesn't ask for much, a decrease in carbon emissions to 5.2% less than what they were in 1990. Sure, it would require work, but at the cost of saving a planet, is it not worth it?

I think that several factors are the primary reasons why America is so reluctant to reduce, or even admit to, climate change.

Denial
Climate change has been the new Rapture, except it doesn't save anyone. In less than a century, we are looking at having major issues with our planet, from increased rates of natural disasters to reduced land mass. The rate of consumption of resources on our planet has quickly grown beyond what Earth can support. The Global Footprint Network now estimates that with our current rates of consumption, we need about 1.5 Earths to live. We only have 1.

When surrounded by all these "doomsday" warnings, rather than admit that they are true and go about fixing them, people tend to deny them. Eventually, the denial will end, but at that point, will it be too late?

The Chamber of Commerce
As author Bill McKibben often states, the United States Chamber of Commerce is a major player in the fight against climate change. Most, if not all, companies that create massive amounts of emissions are members of the Chamber. It puts the most money into lobbying out of any U.S. corporation, and so far, it has been successful. While there is no way to directly track their influence, I believe that they are one of the key resources in stopping any climate change bill in its tracks.

Misinformation
The misnomer "Global Warming" has done a lot of harm to stopping climate change. People misunderstand, and if the average temperatures in their city get no higher, then they scoff and say "What warming?" To fight the problem, people need to understand exactly what is causing the issue, and what the issue is doing to the planet.

Lack of Decisive Evidence
Unfortunately, there is no conclusive evidence that all the recent natural disasters in America are a cause of climate change, but the circumstantial evidence is pretty massive. Tornadoes have been ravaging the country, as far north as Massachusetts, and all the way across the Mid-West. Flooding and severe thunderstorms are everywhere. It seems to point to climate change, but there is no way to directly back it up at the moment. With no concrete examples to point to, people become skeptical.

The United States is far behind in almost every regard possible. A recent Gallup poll showed that only 4% of Americans are unaware of climate change, but 47% attribute it to natural causes. In addition, 54% of Americans believe that we should prioritize economic growth, and only 36% believe that environmental protection is at the top of the list.

Chicago is doing an excellent job as a city to prepare for changing climates, but there is no limit to where it will end. They are basing their renovations off of the expectation that weather will be similar to that of Baton Rouge, LA. While that may be true, there is no guarantee that climate change will stop there.

As individuals, we are limited. As a group, however, much can be accomplished. Let's just hope we decide, as a nation, to take climate change seriously sooner, rather than later.