We shouldn’t need an official week to remind us that the Earth is important and worth protecting.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, we only have one Earth and we couldn’t do much of anything without it. So why is it that issues such as global warming and climate change are polarizing instead of unifying?

It seems that this is an American phenomenon. The United States is currently the only nation in the world to reject the Paris Agreement, after Syria signed the Agreement in November.

The Paris Agreement aims “to combat climate change and to accelerate and intensify the actions and investments needed for a sustainable low carbon future,” according to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

It’s an embarrassment for the U.S. but also seems to defy basic knowledge. Everywhere else in the world, climate change is not a partisan issue. An opinion video from the New York Times done by Matteen Mokalla and Andrea Havis highlighted conservative politicians from places like Australia, Finland, Belgium, and South Korea who are committed to fighting global warming.

For them, it isn’t a political issue. It’s common sense and they’re taking steps to fight it.

But here, much like gun control, it seems to be up to the younger generations now to lead the fight against global warming.
Millennials and Generation Z have the most skin in the game, so to speak. We see its effects somewhere in the world every day and are willing to put in the work so that we can continue living on Earth.

Students at Linfield are environmentally conscious and know what’s at stake. There are numerous ways to contribute to environmental protection at Linfield, from composting to working in the Linfield Garden or joining the sustainability club, Greenfield.

Linfield encourages students to care about our planet and while we shouldn’t need to be encouraged, it’s reassuring to know that a passion for the environment is rewarded, not derided, at Linfield.

-The Review Editorial Board