In our heavily industrial society, climate change is exuded from every action we take. Despite its obvious danger, the impacts of climate change are always pushed off to be solved sometime in the future. However, the impacts are here. On Tuesday, Oct. 9th, the United Nations issued a report that climate change would be irreversible in just 12 years. This daunting report means that now more than ever it is crucial that we take action to combat the warming climate.

With rising temperatures, caused mainly by our everyday actions, ice caps are melting, many of the worlds sea level locations are being forced underwater, and the emergence of life threatening natural disasters will see a drastic increase. According to an ABC news report, human caused emissions must be cut by half in order to protect from the repercussions of climate change, which remains unlikely in the current political climate.

The increase of industrialization has lead to significant carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that can’t be absorbed at high enough speeds to sustain the state of the climate. Humans can decrease this by taking actions to live a healthier lifestyle for themselves and our environment. This includes things like trying to eat healthier through lessened consumption of meat. This call isn’t a demand that everyone adopt a vegan diet, but simply an encouragement of consciousness when it comes to food and consumption levels. While it’s a valiant effort to give solutions to fix climate change, it is also a naive attempt given our current world order.

However, it’s important that all central powers are taking steps to contribute to decreasing carbon emissions as well as acknowledging that climate change doesn’t have to be an existential threat as long as there are proactive measures being taken. The report from the UN was essentially targeted towards the current Republican administration in the US, which has failed to confront the seriousness of this impending danger.

It’s no doubt that the Trump administration has not taken enough protective measures to guard against the climate circumstances. This becomes increasingly evident when looking at the actions of the administration through leaving the Paris climate agreement which sent a global image that any policy that disadvantaged the US would not be undertaken. Other things such as disbanding the EPA’s research review on pollution, administrations push to mine in the boundary waters. Trump and his associates have even said that climate change is a hoax, furthering the ignorance and failure of the administration. The list of failures goes on and on, and as this list increases, so does the danger of the US’s actions.

While it’s doubtful that the administration will suddenly change its approach, it is possible through legislation and protests that the people can influence their opinions. Contacting representatives, participating in grassroots movements, and doing everything possible to get active in politics is crucial in influencing the US’s approach to climate change. These coming years are more important than ever and so are the voices of people who want change.

The UN’s assessment on climate change was an international position that urged change for the ever-occurring threat of climate change. This report is a signal that the only way to reverse that inevitable cease that is to come from our own actions can be stopped, but only if action is taken. Unfortunately, the US doesn’t exude this perspective or have current plan to adopt policy that takes appropriate measures and it probably won’t start anytime soon. The call from the UN to stop the impending irreversible nature of climate change is a necessary call, but one that will remain unanswered.