Thursday, February 6, 2025

Practically Living Green

Showing practical reasons to live green.

Journal & Opinions

America and the Paris Agreement: Should We Care?

The Paris Agreement is essentially a contract that states every country will do its part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions within a set amount of time. It’s probably one of the biggest global goals in history. But, should American’s care?

From a practical standpoint, absolutely.

The Paris Agreement is more than just a contract between the countries of the world. It’s an ideology to prevent the demise of the human species.

And whether you believe in scientific data or not is irrelevant. The world is shifting rapidly, and humanity needs to adapt before it’s too late.

Going Green Has Incredible Benefits Beyond Climate Change

One of the things I point out as often as I can is how it’s practical and in the best interest of everyone to live more green. Whether it’s benefits from overall health and fitness to making money, being eco-friendly is a boon.

Whether America is part of the Paris Agreement or not is irrelevant. The fact of the matter is being more “green” in your lifestyle has immediate benefits.

For instance, investing in LED light bulbs is up to 8-times cheaper over the course of 25 years than buying incandescent bulbs.

What about fuel sources? Compare how much coal-fired power plants need to spend on coal to what a wind farm needs to spend for wind. Spoiler alert, wind doesn’t cost anything as a source of fuel.

Neither does sunlight.

How often do you get an alert on your phone or see on the news how it’s not safe to jog today because of poor air quality? Guess where that poor air quality comes from.

My point is that despite climate change factors, it’s simply more realistic to focus on sustainable practices if you want to have a better life.

Common Arguments I Hear

There are simply too many people out there today who don’t have faith in science nor evidence when it’s presented. A large part of this is the lack of trust many people have for various establishments.

Personally, I tend to side with facts that are scientifically based. This includes my own observations and data because I’m a dork like that.

Still, the same old tired statements find themselves to me.

Well, They Don’t Do Anything…

One argument I hear is why should we care when other countries don’t? Usually, it’s Trump supporters who will bring up Russia, China, and other countries not doing their part.

In reality, even China is looking to be carbon neutral by 2060. Though, this is a decade after everyone else. Still, it’s a move in the right direction.

I just don’t know if it’ll make a difference by then.

My point is that arguing against the Paris Climate Accord with the “but they’re not doing it” claim is asinine.

  1. It’s called leading by example. If the US wants to be the “best,” then maybe we should act like it.
  2. Just because someone else is being an idiot, it doesn’t mean you have to join in. And that’s a life lesson for a variety of situations.
  3. Anything we do to enhance an eco-friendly existence is full of practical benefits for everyone.

It Ships Coal Jobs Out of America

Coal is an obsolete fossil fuel that is long past its prime. Contrary to the rhetoric from the White House in 2017, those jobs being shipped overseas, are few and diminishing rapidly.

And despite pulling out of the agreement, the corporations that maintain power in the United States are not building new coal-fired plants.

This is because many countries are putting in the effort to advance. Regardless of the Paris Agreement, renewable sources are having far more of an impact than some might believe.

That’s because power generation such as solar and wind are far cheaper than coal to maintain. While they may cost a bit more to build in the here-and-now, they don’t rely on the same upkeep as a coal-fired power plant.

And considering how most countries are moving rapidly to get rid of coal, this is an ultimately moot argument.

This is one of the biggest reasons why coal never came back despite President Trump’s promises. It’s an archaic and inefficient method compared to what we have available today.

Since technology for renewable energy is continuing at a quickened pace, building some of these structures is becoming cheaper than coal.

It Shouldn’t Take the Paris Agreement

In the end, it shouldn’t take something like the Paris Agreement to get governments to realize that corporate greed won’t matter in 100 years.

Luckily, many corporations are stepping up to address CO2 emissions and other climate factors. It’s too bad too many people have their hands in the pockets of our leaders.

Regardless of how you feel about the Paris Agreement, advancing the human species beyond archaic technology is part of progress.

(Visited 53 times, 1 visits today)

Michael Brockbank

Michael has been interested in the practicality of living green for quite some time. He works closely with GreenGeeks Web Hosting as the Content Marketing Team Lead and an author of various articles.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *