Climate Change and You

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"Climate Changeand You"

• Introduction
• Summary Lesson
• In More Detail I
• In More Detail II
• Conclusion

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In Conclusion
While scientific evidence shows that America is a
major contributor to global climate change, so,
too, is it poised to be a world leader in terms
of solutions.
The next step is to determine which policy,
research and public-outreach options are the best
viable responses to this new age of U.S.
population and climate changes.
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Things to Consider
Environmental Sustainability - the ability to
create indefinitely a healthy natural resource
base on which all of our lives depend Americans
(on all levels - from individuals to national
leaders) must think inclusively, placing
climate change, environmental sustainability, and
population in the same frame.
WE MUST THINK DIFFERENTLY - and see these issues
as being connected, rather than individual
occurrences!
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Americans must seriously choose to reduce energy
use and greenhouse gas emissions, and take steps
to put population and demography on the table as
a way to address climate change.
This multi-faceted approach is the only way to
effectively address the global and national
climate change challenge, from both sides of the
same population and climate change coin.
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Its YOUR Choice
Choices are a central part of the climate change
solution. The climate change impact of one area
can differ from the impacts of another area.
How???
Decisions and choice may differ regarding how
land is used and developed, the type of
transportation (mass transit vs. single person
vehicles), the amount of industry in an area, and
the choice of whether or not to use energy
efficient goods.
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The future is in YOUR hands
Youth in the U.S. play a VERY important role in
the population and climate change debate, both in
terms of challenges, and the solutions.
You are in the position of making important
choices about both population (the number of
children to have) and climate change (as energy
consumers, whether to recycle, which vehicles to
drive, whether to use mass transportation, where
to live, etc.)
vs.
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The future is in YOUR hands
Your generation will likely make the most
difference in the future of our planet and
nation, because the issues you are faced with are
unlike any generations before you.
Even though we have choices regarding where
climate change and population will go from here,
we must also adapt to the inevitabilities of
climate change and to the population momentum
already in place.
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Adaptation is a key factor
because some degree of future climate change
will occur regardless of future greenhouse gas
emissions.
The need for adaptation will most likely be
increased by growing populations in areas
vulnerable to extreme events, and the nations
per capita resource use.
The ability for natural systems, like ecosystems,
to adapt for climate change will be difficult,
due to the effect of highly populated areas.
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Hope for the future
A new field of science which combines
population and climate change is emerging, both
in the U.S. internationally, to inform
both the public government agencies
regarding the issues surrounding climate change.

This reflects and responds to the changes now
occurring and demonstrates effectively the fact
that population and climate change are
inextricably linked.
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Hope for the future
It is important to remember as we look toward
the future, past decisions about resource
allocation are not necessarily suitable to
todays situation.
Climatic changes are happening all around us, so
what are we willing to change, or even give up?
That is the question that remains for the next
generation
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What is the next step?
there are many

• We need to be aware of the population climate
  change challenges we face
• We need to apply science-based planning to our
  approaches for addressing the trends in the
  future
• The countrys population-climate change hot
  spots need to be identified so we can address
  the most urgent issues
• Americas large role in the global community
  must be addressed at all levels
• The youth of America must be educated and
  enabled to face these critical issues

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"Climate Changeand You"

• See the companion book "US Population, Energy
  Climate Change" for more detail. To download or
  order the book free, contact www.cepnet.org

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Produced by Briane Sorice, CEP School Curriculum
Advisor