This past week, America has worked in Poland with other countries to formulate a pact that would uphold agreements the Trump administration will be leaving in 2020, with our withdrawal from the Paris Peace Agreement. Environmentalists are hoping the changes made in the pact will convince future presidential administrations to take up arms in the fight against climate change and global warming.

Since global warming and the greenhouse effect were made known to the public in 1988, environmentalists, politicians, and big industry officials have been butting heads over a course of action. This has elicited countless debates over the importance of the environment in regards to the continuation of big industry and America’s need to promote economic growth and propel efforts to protect our ecosystems.

Both China and India have taken action in a search for more renewable energy for domestic reasons, which the New York Times argues is more beneficial than making these changes out of a diplomatic duty to a pact. It takes an internal drive to foster change and without personal incentives, it is doubtful that change can actually be made. There are many incentives to the pursuit of a renewable energy solution. While some argue that there could be detrimental economic impacts because of the search for a better way to produce energy, over time, green energy source has the power to reduce the strain we have put on non-renewable resources. Freshman Rihanna Atwal says there’s “no negative” to clean energy because “limited resources are expensive.”

Here at Issaquah High School, students take part in many efforts to promote a greener today and a sustainable tomorrow, sometimes without realizing it. From water to electricity, conservation efforts by students are driving the preservation and protection of limited resources to pave the way for a better life for succeeding generations. By small efforts like reducing the number of cars idling in our parking lot to stressing the importance of composting and recycling, Issaquah High students all have a little environmentalist in them. By making students aware of the impact their actions have on our earth, we can spread awareness of environmental issues and advocate for a future free from the consequences of a dying environment. While some see these efforts as futile, every little bit counts and it is increasingly important that actions be prompted to ensure the success of keystone plants and animals in delicate ecosystems essential to American life.

Organizations like the National Parks Service, the Scouts of America, and the Environmental Protection Agency work tirelessly to protect our environment, but more public action is necessary to reduce our dire need for a miracle. Junior Adrian Boskovic says that environmental issues “[have not] been addressed enough” by the current presidential administration and “should be for the sake of climate change.” With important protective bills being overlooked by the current presidential administration and the increasing ignorance by public officials it is getting harder for these organizations to achieve their environmental goals while also protecting current industry. With Obama-administration rollbacks on the environment taking place every day it is hard to see the United States coming back from the damage it has done to the planet. But change is desperately needed.

Students like senior Elise Choi want to “keep breathing clean air and drinking clean water.” It is hard to imagine these things being jeopardized because we as a country have always had an abundance of clean resources, but in underdeveloped and poverty stricken nations, it is a reality that needs to be faced every day. The pact discussed last week hopes that more powerful nations can help smaller countries uphold conservation efforts in order to ensure a better future for all of us. It takes small efforts from all of us to make a difference. Sophomore Dasha Hamlin says that the key to a sustainable future is “definitely being mindful of what we’re doing and how it impacts the environment.” Conservation and awareness are necessary to ensuring that everyone has the same access to clean resources that climate change continually jeopardizes.

What do you do to protect the environment? Leave a comment below!