– By Dylan Yoder
We’d like to introduce a new, occasional columnist, Dylan Yoder. Dylan attends Haven High as a Junior and is involved in multiple extracurricular activities including Wildcat Singers, Band, Student Council, and Life Smarts, is Captain of the Debate and Scholars Bowl teams and the Co-Chairman of the Youth Philanthropy Council of Reno County.
He and his family live just on the outskirts of Hutchinson and have lived there “forever.” In the past year, he’s been doing more activities within school and the community, including attending the HCC Chess club and being involved in Reno County through the Youth Council. Now, he will write occasionally for the Rural Messenger, giving his thoughts on pertinent issues of the day. Thoughts of a representative of our youth; one who will go on to shape the world. It’s a broadening of the horizons for the Rural Messenger and we look forward to Dylan’s insights and contributions.
In the future, Dylan plans to attend college, with plans to major in Music Education. From there, he hopes to obtain a teaching position in the performing arts, with which he may be able to be a positive influence on students who will go on to shape the world.
______________________________________________________________________________
Global Warming, climate change, or whatever else you want to call it, is a looming concept that now seems to ever preside over global activity and international policies. Every year it’s newly revived on the world stage by differing nations and individuals. Regardless of differing opinions, it remains true that with our increased usage of cars, airplanes, and other forms of transportation, that we humans have been sending more and more emissions into the atmosphere.
These non-renewable energy sources translate to the emission of carbon dioxide which heats the planet. In light of this, world organizations, including the United Nations have taken steps for the betterment of future generations or so we’ve been told.
The younger generation is aware of plans to eliminate carbon emissions for the overall benefit of the climate. These plans include the Paris accords to hold nations accountable to decrease their annual carbon emissions and the Madrid Climate Conference which took place last year. The question is, what do these nations talk about when discussing the current climate trends? We can look at Boris Johnson’s UK which plans to move towards achieving a 100 percent green policy in the next decades, or we can look at Canada and Justin Trudeau’s plans for a net-zero carbon emissions Canada by 2050.
If we look at these different nations and their plans for climate benefit, one thing that remains common is their plans for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. We, the younger generation, have been watching these ideas for years. Nothing much has changed in terms of the promises made by those nations, but we’ve seen limited impacts from those promises. So, perhaps the best way to combat climate change may not be through the reduction of greenhouse gasses but, through innovation.
Innovation has resolved countless global environmental issues humanity had faced in the past. Consider the numerous examples throughout our history. In the late 1930s, whales were being hunted nearly to extinction for their oil, which burned brighter than the common fires and candles. However, human innovation would soon lead to Kerosene. In New York and London, horses and their manure were an issue in the ever-growing cities. The solution? The motor vehicle arose and allowed cities to grow in a more sanitary environment. Furthermore, in India during the 1970s the population was starving as a whole and the & Green Revolution led to increased productions of vegetables to feed its people. These solutions were not found by focusing on the issues of their time, they were found by using innovation to make the world a better place.
The moral consensus of all of these events is that innovation is the key to solve global warming and other issues the world may face in the future. Rather than focusing on reducing carbon emissions, why not innovate to make electric vehicles accessible for the lower economic class? It could be much simpler to focus on increasing the supply of an alternative to greenhouse gasses rather than focusing on trying to fix the bad of greenhouse gasses and achieving nothing. Humankind has provoked nature too many times to count. It is our moral responsibility to ensure this planet’s survival for future generations. If we have one goal on this earth, let this be it.
