Over the course of this term, I have become more sensitive to the reality of global warming. Initially, I thought that the earth was getting warmer, but that most of the temperature change was due to the earth’s natural warming and cooling cycles. From my perspective, the human contribution to global warming was relatively small, and I didn’t see cause for too much concern.
Main cause of global warming
My perspective has changed this term. Through the different cases we tackled and the discussions we had in class, I realized that the evidence pointing to human beings as the main cause of the recent change in the earth’s climate is pretty conclusive.
The case of global climate change reminds us of the profound interconnectivity of all events in the physical world, including humans’ own activity. We are all interconnected—there is no such thing as an isolated incident. The entire sphere of life that we share will be profoundly affected as a result of the change we are effecting on the climate.
Impact of global warming
Ocean acidification damages aquatic ecosystems, such as coral reefs and shell-wearing animals, because the carbonate that makes up reefs and shells dissolves more readily in acidic environments.
Arctic and Antarctic life is also at risk due to rising temperatures—the polar bear, the poster child for the campaign against global warming, is indeed in danger because its habitat is disappearing.
Plants are also at risk in our warming climate—trees sensitive to certain temperatures on a mountainside, for example, are little able to propagate up or down the side of the mountain to maintain a habitat at the temperature at which they thrive.
These are just a few small, direct examples of how a warming earth poses danger to our current environment.
Modify lifestyle choices
Great. So, the climate is changing, you and I are the source of that change, and that change poses profound consequences on our current environment. So, how can I be more mindful of the larger consequences of my actions? Here are just a couple of lifestyle choices I can modify out of love for God.
The way in which I travel (by car/bike/bus etc.) and the frequency with which I travel (e.g. going to the store every day vs. once a week)
The electricity I use at home;
The waste from materials I use;
The food that I eat (meat in general has a much larger carbon footprint than plants);
This is a journey, and I must continue to ask myself, how can I live more sustainably in other ways, too?
Let us encourage one another, striving to live as more charitable stewards of God’s creation.
The author is an MBA student at the Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business. This essay is part of a journal he kept in fulfillment of the requirements of the course, Lasallian Business Leadership with Corporate Social Responsibility and Ethics. Visit his blog at http://jymyurick.tumblr.com/.
The views expressed here are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official position of DLSU, its faculty and its administrators.
