DiCaprio helps tackle fossil fuels & the economy

Nick Stines
Staff Writer

      A handful of environmental funding groups announced that more than two thousand individuals, four hundred institutions, and Leonardo DiCaprio would take out their financial holdings, which total 2.6 trillion dollars, from fossil fuels. This is a great move by capital society and brings up a very pressing issue. If we start funding natural energy sources, the demand of fossil fuels will decline.
      Fossil fuels are extremely harmful to the environment because they are non-renewable. The demand for fossil fuels is only hiking because they help cars function while the availability is only getting steeper. In an estimated thirty to forty years, fossil fuels will run out; thus, cars will not be able to run unless Americans start switching to electric cars which are expensive to begin with. Fossil fuels will get more expensive, which will leave a dent in the economy we are currently trying to fix. Fossil fuels pollute the air, which can result in asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), or lung cancer. Due to how expensive and damaging fossil fuels are, funding other energy sources such as solar power or wind turbines would be a huge step toward improving the quality of life in America. Adults aren’t converting to alternative resources because it’s a new concept, and they don’t want to have to learn something new while they’ve known no better their entire lives. Young children are most vulnerable to climate change effects, yet they are the future of this country. A healthy environment is clearly vital for a healthy economy, and teenagers have the best opportunity to learn and spread the importance. As young adults in society, they can recycle everything that has the recycling symbol on it. Throwing recyclable plastic in the trash is leading to the decline in the sea turtle population. The plastic goes into the trash, the trash goes into landfills, and the landfills get dumped into the ocean. Tiger sharks are known to eat the turtles, so in order to maintain balanced populations in aquatic ecosystems, it is vital that an indicator species does not decline.
      This all revolves around climate change. Fossil fuels pollute the air and water and could easily be the demise of America’s economy, therefore, affecting one’s quality of life forever, so it is important that young people in America educate themselves on the environment so that they can cultivate an ample environment for future generations. President Barack Obama recently took a small trip to Alaska to appreciate its beauty but more importantly to come up with a plan to solve the climate change crisis. Obama made a good point to a Rolling Stone journalist about how he wants future kids to be able to appreciate nature the way he did before factories and business technology revolutionized. This conference was extremely important yet disregarded by most of society. People aren’t realizing how harmful fossil fuels are to the environment, and defunding them is a step in the right direction for a healthy environment and economy.