Climate Change Affects Us All

Dear Editor:

Whether anyone likes it or not, climate change has become the issue of the 21st century. Environmentalists are highlighting problems that most politicians simply do not want to address. Doomsday groups and fossil fuel lobbies are spreading fear and doubt about the state of the planet at large.

As an aspiring environmentalist, hearing how crippled the environmental movement has become hurts me. Yes, there are groups out there fighting for the cause, but I feel that their efforts are too disjointed, not unified. In short, I find them disappointing.

Climate change should not be a partisan issue. It should not be a problem shunted onto the lower class, as is the case with environmental justice. Climate change affects everyone, but that does not mean that everyone has heard about it, much less gets a chance to contribute to the global conversation.

As the environmental movement seeks to move forward, one of its biggest challenges, in my mind, is to keep from leaving anyone behind. The indigenous tribes, the Muslims, the oil barons, the Gypsies, the loggers—everyone must be involved in the fight to save Earth’s future. The net must be cast as far as possible in order to haul out the biggest possible catch.

-- Tiffany Liang