Cost Of Gratification

I have access to clean drinking water every moment of every day, food is readily available to me and I have never felt the sting of the cold for longer than a few hours before being warmed in a sufficient and comfortable shelter. Gratification is immediate in my life due to the availability of energy. Public health has created an environment of well being among the general public based on these amenities. However, a thought that rarely crossed my mind is what is the cost of my gratification. The realization that my need for comfort is slowly destroying the magnificent planet I live on was shaming, shocking, and terrifying. The instinct to reject this idea is immediate in myself and, I suspect, the entire population whose cozy and healthy lifestyle
An argument stating that climate change is due to the natural cycle of the planet – heating and cooling that repeats every couple million years – crowd media headlines. Some politicians claim climate change is a natural response to the greater amount of body heat coming from the ever-expanding population. Nevertheless, the indisputable facts that the earth is heating more rapidly than ever before shape my opinion the most. Opinions have no effect on my way of thinking. Humans have a tendency for self-preservation; therefore, I have difficulty believing anything other than supported data. Only evidence and numbers can convince me that there is a problem without climate and recent experiments more than confirm climate change.
The first step to combating climate change is recognizing there is a problem. I am talking about more than one or two countries - global recognition is imperative. Before the Flood, starring academy award winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio, works to expose the scope and pace of climate change. DiCaprio travels across the globe talking to environmental experts about real time effects of climate change. Speaking at an understandable level to the general
The strength of the silence is something I can scarcely comprehend let alone explain. The power of the ice is in its stillness. Unmoving, the ice produces deep sounds of ice fracturing, sounds similar to a giant stretching and cracking its joints. The potential energy is a tangible thing in the air. The beauty of the ice is in the varying shades of one color; so many different hues that are different and yet the same. At the time of my visit, I had no idea that the structure beneath me was disappearing. The idea that memory so precious to me will be unavailable to future generations disturbs me. That memory and my new found knowledge of climate change drives me to reduce my carbon footprint. I strive to reduce my waste production and live a sustainable lifestyle. My generation, Generation Z, is described by the New Times as being, “conscientious, hard-working, somewhat anxious and mindful of the future” (Williams, 2015). We have the makings to save the world from ourselves. I hope to see my generation implement a carbon tax and become the leading example of a sustainable country. Countries across the globe talk of climate change everyday, their media coverage reports daily with honest and fact-based reports. The U.S. chooses to disregard the issue in the hopes that it will disappear. I believe we, as a country will not change until we have open conversations about the issue. My solution is to talk