“This is a make or break moment.”- UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres.

Climate change is a dire crisis that threatens the globe. Climate change is defined as a change in the average conditions — such as temperature and rainfall — in a region over a long period of time” (NASA.gov). Studies have shown that Earth’s temperature has risen astronomically in the past 100 years. Climate change has resulted in a variety of negative environmental impacts such as heat waves, heavy storms, and is causing a rise in sea levels.

2021 marks an important time for the world to combat and change the course of climate change. A plan already in place is a meeting of the world leaders in Glasgow, Scotland to discuss climate change, some potential short term solutions to deal with it, and carbon emissions. Cutting carbon emissions is a main concern to world leaders because a change in temperatures will have a massive impact on our planet. A two degree celsius increase would gravely impact biodiversity and the survival of Earth. Therefore, it is of chief concern of the global community to address climate change.

Along with cutting down carbon emissions, world leaders are discussing using hydro, wind, and solar energies. These renewables have become much cheaper especially since the end of 2020 and some of them are even cheaper than traditional fossil fuels. Many nations such as Japan and the U.S. are investing money towards reliable energy and more countries are following suit. This is great because the more countries investing in reliable energy, the cheaper it will be. Companies are also making an initiative to go green and reduce their carbon footprint by switching to reliable energy. One example is Tesla, a successful car company, whose share price (the price of a single share of the company) has allowed it to become one of the most valuable car companies in the world. Slowly but surely more businesses will hopefully continue to transition to renewable energy.

All in all this year will prove a momentous one for many things, and climate change is definitely going to be one of them. The doors are opening and greater initiative is being made. The time for change is now.