At the beginning of the speech, on the basis of the three articles he has read, Clinton mentions such facts about climate change as the possibility to measure and increase the level of greenhouse gases (methane and carbon dioxide), the past climate change during the last ice age (that was 15,000 years ago), an evident melting of glaciers in the Himalayas, and global warming as a result of which the freshwater level is increased and the winters become severer.
The UN Global Initiative makes the following predictions about possible climate change because of global warming: severe weather conditions that are observed during the last 10 years may result in tripling the insurance losses (Clinton, 2015). The sea level can rise 50 feet of Manhattan Island and lead to considerable changes in agriculture production and the inability to import food from different parts of the world.
In his speech, Clinton (2015) offers a number of ideas to reduce the possibility of climate change. Some of them are the maximization of clean energy development, improvement of energy conservation technologies, promotion of appropriate research, and intentions to find out the effective use of old energy from such resources as oil and coal. All these steps may be taken only in case people can believe that the chosen alternatives can protect them and make their climate better avoiding the majority of coming unpleasant changes.
Denmark is the country that generates 20% of electricity from wind. The Philippines uses geothermal sources to generate about 27% of electricity. And Germany, as well as Denmark, generates electricity from wind. Still, it has different numbers: more than 16,000 megawatts of electricity are taken from the wind.
Many people cannot even guess how they can actually influence the problem of climate change by taking simple steps and thinking about their future. It is wrong to believe that people can do nothing to stop climate change. First, they have to believe that it is an existing problem that should be resolved. Then, it is time to think about what can be done to change the situation. People, as individuals, are able to pay more attention to such simple steps as less water and electricity usage, recycling, and rejection of car driving to stop or influence climate change nowadays.
Statistics show that the level of greenhouse gases has considerably increased during the last 150 years (Giddens, 2011). However, people just do not want to pay attention to the numbers. They prefer to react to the events that do happen and turn out to be visible or tangible. Still, climate change is a vast problem that people have to resolve or, at least, do something to change the current situation. Of course, it is impossible even to imagine that all people can stop using their cars and start bicycling. They may think how beneficial this kind of change can be: money is saved, communication is increased, and better shape is possible. Another successful example of climate change reduction is a person’s decision to use less water and electricity. It seems to be so easy to switch off lights more frequently, or buy electricity-saving light bulbs, or watch less TV or other devices that are electricity-dependent. Of course, it is impossible to stop using everything at once. Still, it is possible to try using them less and observe the results. Finally, people, as individuals, should take responsibility for their actions. They can recycle things and garbage they produce. It is not a difficult task to make sure there is no waste behind.
In general, people have all chances to be environmentally friendly and make attempts to stop climate change. The steps like the control of water and electricity, recycling, and the promotion of a car-free society can be taken day by day and enjoy the results achieved.
References
Clinton, W.J. (2015). Global climate change. In O. Roca and M. Schuh (Eds), An examined life: Critical thinking and ethics (pp. 463-470). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.
Giddens, A. (2011). The politics of climate change. Malden, MA: Polity Press.