{"id":4588,"date":"2022-06-29T21:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-29T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/?post_type=furman-update&p=4588"},"modified":"2026-08-11T21:42:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T21:42:27","slug":"how-youth-can-influence-the-upstate-of-climate-change","status":"publish","type":"furman-update","link":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/news\/how-youth-can-influence-the-upstate-of-climate-change\/","title":{"rendered":"How youth can influence the (Up)state of climate change"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This op-ed, written by the 2022 Mightier than the Sword<\/a> contest winner Chloe Sandifer-Stech, was originally ran on June 29, 2022 in the Greenville Journal.<\/a><\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Fifty-one billion tons. A mind-boggling, incomprehensible, absolutely unfathomable amount.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s how much carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases are emitted into the atmosphere annually from human activity. From agriculture to transportation, nearly every facet of daily life uses fossil fuels. These fossil fuels trap heat in our atmosphere, and as the climate warms, we lose forest acreage, ice sheets and biodiversity, all of which mitigate climate change in the first place.<\/p>\n

The 2021 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report states the world needs policies to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 to avoid a climate disaster. Adaptation plans are also needed to combat the imminent consequences of climate change. Young people in the Upstate have as great a responsibility as anyone to act on climate change in the next five years \u2014 and we have the tools to do so. Young people should consider these actions:<\/p>\n

1. Petition South Carolina legislators<\/strong><\/p>\n

While climate change is a polarizing issue, advancing state legislation that addresses it is possible. For example, South Carolina legislators passed the Energy Freedom Act in 2019 in an effort to expand access to solar energy in the state, demonstrating what\u2019s possible when climate change is framed in terms of economics. Young people in the Upstate need to petition Gov. Henry McMaster and state legislators to fund clean-energy research and further create policies to introduce low-carbon technologies into the market, emphasizing that doing so accelerates innovation, reduces consumer costs and creates well-paying jobs.<\/p>\n

2. Get involved with local climate adaptation efforts<\/strong><\/p>\n

Last year, I researched Greenville\u2019s sustainability plans for Furman University\u2019s Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities, and I was encouraged to learn about the city\u2019s environmental-protection efforts. The GVL2040 comprehensive plan includes goals to preserve 35% of Greenville\u2019s remaining vacant land and prioritize the city\u2019s green space. The newly opened Unity Park is a strong example of habitat restoration, reducing city floodwaters and increasing natural biodiversity of the area. The city of Greenville\u2019s Green Ribbon Advisory Committee is working on a sustainability and climate action plan to reduce the city\u2019s carbon footprint and protect natural resources. The\u00a0draft plan<\/a> is available for public comment online.<\/p>\n

3. Reducing personal carbon emissions<\/strong><\/p>\n

I often hear concern about whether personal efforts can reduce climate-change effects. While one person cannot change the world\u2019s dependency on fossil fuels, personal actions send signals to the market, which will need to adapt to meet demand. Consider:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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