Learning About Climate Change

Alan Palm, an educator with the Alliance for Climate Education (ACE), gave a presentation to the Westminster community Jan. 10 about world climate change. ACE was founded in 2009 in order to bring climate science education to high school students.
 

ACE believes that achieving a safe and stable climate requires the ideas, action and influence of young people. It has delivered presentations on climate science to more than 1.5 million students throughout the United States and hopes to educate, inspire and activate 12 million teens and young adults as part of a multigenerational force for carbon reduction and healthy communities.
 

“I am going to talk about how the choices we make in our lives connect to such things as storms, floods and wildfires,” explained Palm. He described how people in the U.S. use five times the resources of people in other parts of the world. “Living large pushes the planet’s thermostat.”
 

He explained the science behind greenhouse gases and how the use of fossil fuels is increasing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. “The longer we wait to act, the worse the consequences will be,” he stressed. “Climate change is quickly getting out of control.”
 

He also spoke about how climate change will affect the choices people make in their lives. “Climate change is about people now.” He gave examples of wildfires in Colorado, hydraulic fracturing in Pennsylvania and rising sea levels in the Northeast. “Climate change will get worse if we do nothing.” He described how action can be taken at the personal level, the small group level and at the movement level and asked audience members for suggested actions they might take. He encouraged the students to learn more about climate science and invited their participation in efforts to bring about change.
 

Palm is a graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder, the Institute for Shipboard Education and the National Outdoor Leadership School.