Councilmember Brown has changed my view of the impact of politics on global warming because I realize now that people do actually have the upper hand in a lot of political settings since people are voted into their positions and try to keep their constituents happy. I also realize that most of the stuff that affects our everyday lives come from the local government level. So although not much is happening to combat global warming on a higher up, federal level, we can start from the base of it all, and try to begin implementing policies that can reduce our cities pollution levels and overall environmental impacts. As I continue to explore my topic of Climate Change, I’m going to start to pay attention to how we can impact climate change on a local level, which could eventually spread to state and then nation, etc.
My biggest take away from the discussion with councilmember Brown was the part where she talked about avoiding overspecialization of your major. I realize that no matter what I major in, if I want to have an impact on the world, it won’t matter what my major is, so long as I put my mind to it, I can do anything, so I shouldn’t restrict myself in my studies.
Personally, I am still thinking about what I should do to impact climate change. First I need to attempt to reduce my waste overall, the key is not to just recycle what you use, it is important to also try to reduce how much you use all together. So my goal this semester is to use less paper and plastic products. Another goal that I have is to try to influence my roommates to start recycling more and trying to reduce their waste as well, I think it will be key to educate my peers about how they can start to influence climate change.