Whenever individuals think of the Earth, the majority see it as an environment in which we exist. A few see the Earth as something we need to protect. Others view it as nothing more than a rock we live and stay on until we die. 

So when many ask these people if climate change should be taken seriously, the majority of people respond with, “Why should I care about saving the Earth if everything is going to die anyway?” True, but also not really. The things we have put in the environment have affected the world since the 1950s, making it our responsibility.

As stated by NASA, “Global climate change is not a future problem. Changes to the Earth’s climate driven by increased human emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases are already having widespread effects on the environment.” 

The main reason why people don’t care is because climate change seems so far away from their actual life. This is called the construal level theory, when people conceptualize things that are psychologically distant from them. The theory basically follows the stance that if something doesn’t affect our everyday lives, it’s not important. 

Research from Harvard Business Review mentions that “When there are weather disasters that are probably a reflection of climate change, (like wildfires or extreme storms), they tend to happen far away from where most people live. As a result, most people are not forced to grapple with the specifics of climate change, but rather treat it as an abstract concept.”

It’s the least responsible areas of the world that get affected the most by climate change. According to studies at Mercy Corps, places like Kenya, Haiti, and Timor-Leste are known to be the poorest countries in the world with 3 out of 4 people living in poverty, relying on agriculture and natural resources to survive. Furthermore, climate change can deliver shifts in weather patterns, and limited water sources which make it extremely difficult to sustain themselves and their families with the food that they need. 

In a sad way, we are basically just making less privileged people around the world suffer more for our choices. We still do not know when climate change will take full effect on our world, but being eco-friendly is not about saving the turtles with metal straws. It’s about being able to create a clean, balanced, and sustainable life for everything and everyone around the world.