By Kajal Gheewala
According to environmental experts, if people do not start taking care of the planet today, there will be no one left in the future to use it.
On Nov. 30, the Sierra Club of Long Island, the Progressive Student Union and the Student’s Organization for Animal Rights welcomed environmentalist Tina Weishaus to the University.
Weishaus, who was one of the first 50 people to join former Vice President Al Gore’s movement to educate the public about global warming, brought a shortened version of the 2006 documentary “An Inconvenient Truth.”
“This presentation is not about what you can do, but about the urgency of the issue and why bold and immediate action needs to happen,” Weishaus said.
The slideshow presentation began with an explanation of what global warming is and how it occurs. Weishaus explained that global warming is when too much carbon dioxide thickens the Earth’s atmosphere. The thickened atmosphere absorbs too many infrared radiation rays, which raises the temperature of the earth and the ocean to dangerous levels.
The rest of the slideshow showed examples of the effects of global warming on the planet and what experts predict its future implications will be. Weishaus stated that “the year 2006 was the hottest year on record, ever.”
“The warm temperature in the oceans causes more intense weather conditions. In 2004, Florida was hit by four hurricanes that were stronger than those of its past,” said Weishaus. Also, in 2004, Japan was hit by 10 typhoons, Brazil had its first hurricane ever and the United States had a record-breaking amount of tornados.
According to Weishaus, the warmer air also causes a heavier downpour that means disastrous floods, such as in July of 2005 when floods in India and China killed thousands of people.
There are three factors, Weishaus explained, that are causing the intense global warming; the population explosion, the scientific and technological revolution and the United States’ way of thinking. The U.S. accounts for 30 percent of the carbon dioxide emissions, while only having five percent of the world’s population and consuming 20 percent of the world’s resources.
Weishaus then showed a power point presentation she had made, which exemplified what college students can do to help, such as recycling, taking shorter showers or switching their light bulbs to compact florescent bulbs.
“If every household used just one compact florescent bulb in their house instead of a regular light bulb, it would be the same as taking one million cars off the road,” said Weishaus. Meagan Simpson, a sophomore who attended the presentation, said she believes this is an important issue. “That presentation was really effective,” said Simpson.
“To be honest, I’m a little scared now. It’s horrible what’s happening to our planet and it’s not very comforting that nobody seems to care,” Simpson added, referring to the amount of students that came to see the presentation – about 20. “We must start today,” said Weishaus, who said she believes this is a nonpartisan issue. “This is about saving the planet. Unless we start to reduce, reuse and recycle, there will be no future, and things like clothes and cars will not matter because there will not be anyone around to buy them. Demand that your local, state and federal government take action and vote accordingly.”