"2016 Was the Hottest Year Yet" Opinions

    The first stat that blows your mind from this article was that it has been 3 consecutive years of record breaking heat in our world. The article states that 2016 was 1.7 degrees hotter than the Global average of the 20th century. This may not seem like such a big deal, however the world around us has proven that this is a huge issue if we don't try to contain it soon. For example, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change states that by the end of this Century, Miami's sea level could rise by 3 Feet! That is unbelievable. Many scientists, and the Mayor of Miami himself (Phillip Levine) have acknowledged the fact that we could realistically be flooded as a city in the next 20-30 years without the right precautions. We cannot just turn our back on this situation now. Unfortunately, however, President-elect Trump has shown a lack of initiative towards these issues, as many Republicans in the past have. While I am not here to debate political stances, I am here to wonder how a political stance can turn your back away from the very clear signs of deterioration of our nation and our world.
                 So what should be done about this issue? Well, for starters, we could devise a system in which we all came together and raised funds to find a solution. Some celebrities, such as Oscar-winning actor Leonardo Dicaprio, have come out in the open and said that they want to help solve the initiative. Dicaprio, in fact, is the Environmental Ambassador for United Nations, according to Fox News. This is a good start, but we need to get everyone concerned. This should not be an issue regarding Democrat vs. Republican, this should be a united fight against the problems that we as a people have caused ourselves. Ignoring the issues will cause our children and grandchildren to suffer mightily, and nobody wants that.

Articles used:

http://www.npr.org/2016/05/10/476071206/as-waters-rise-miami-beach-builds-higher-streets-and-political-willpower
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/01/18/510405739/2016-was-the-hottest-year-yet-scientists-declare
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/12/21/the-siege-of-miami
http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2016/10/14/charity-demands-leonardo-dicaprio-step-down-as-environmental-ambassador.html