Collegiate Times

Melting icecaps, endangered species, national disasters: these are all predicted consequences if something isn?t done immediately to slow the effects of global warming.

In recent years, NASA has released more and more information regarding the issues of global warming and the changing climate. While the stunning information about climate change should have been a sign for the people of the world to take a step back and look at energy use, it wasn?t.

Instead, the U.S. government censored the information and, instead of investing more money into the research behind global warming, backed off the subject. Leading NASA scientist James Hansen issued a report last year, in which he made a point to inform the government of issues, especially in America. Instead of releasing the report, the administration changed his wording. The new document was vague and lacked hard-hitting facts like the fact that people have less than 10 years until climate change reaches its tipping point and becomes unstoppable.

Rather than retreating after the government put up its wall of ignorance, Hansen took charge, using the media to spread the word about global climate change.

The government and American people should follow in Hansen?s footsteps. Global warming is no longer a debatable issue ? it?s here, and, without government assistance, it?s not going away.

The United States is the leading producer of greenhouse emissions, yet instead of switching to efforts to create more renewable energy sources, the government continues to fight for oil, which has its days numbered no matter how you look at it.

We don?t need more oil. We need a push for ethanol, hydrogen and electric power sources. We need funding to build facilities where people can access these energy sources to power their cars, homes and businesses. Many Americans are already taking the necessary steps individually and many more have expressed the desire to do so. But without regular filing stations for hydrogen, electric and ethanol powers, those cars can never be practical.

Citizens can only do so much. Without an effort from the administration to facilitate these stations and energy sources and without funding toward a program to do so, the citizens cannot hold up their end of the deal. America should be a leader, just as we always have been, and put some effort into slowing climate change.

As the world has moved from steam power to gasoline and on to renewable energy, the government should face the inevitable: the times they are a-changin?.