Can we reverse global warming? Atmospheric physicist Dr. Mark Richards at Imperial College London answers “yes” in the video above. He points to our collaborative efforts in healing the hole in the ozone layer as an excellent example of “the power of human endeavor.”
In this expert panel, hosted online by Professor Brian Cox and The Royal Society in June of 2021, scientists answer questions from 5 to 14-year-olds about climate change and the future of the planet.
What is the one thing that would make the biggest difference to help to stop climate change that we should all start doing now?
Dr. Emily Shuckburgh, an environmental data scientist at the University of Cambridge, emphatically states that there’s not just one thing, but many. She starts with three things that kids can do right away: 1. Make small changes in what we eat and how we travel, 2. speak to grownups and governments about seriously addressing climate change right away, and 3. help create the solutions of the future.
“And that means um studying at school, studying science. There’s lots and lots of really exciting science that you can study and then, in time, you can help invent some of the solutions.”
And the ideas don’t all have to come from scientific fields. Solutions small and large can be found and contributed from every profession. Every person can better understand the issues and can speak up for change. The key, as Oxford plant ecologist Dr. Lindsay Turnbull reminds us, is that “we mustn’t get mired in doom.”
“I think there’s certainly plenty of evidence that even if we can’t completely rewind the damage that’s been done, can we create a bright sustainable future? A world that will still contain vast numbers of plants and animals that we can all enjoy? Yes, of course, we can do that.
“One of the biggest changes I’ve seen in terms of the global warming in my lifetime has been the impact of children. When the children started the school climate strike, suddenly politicians went into an extra gear, and they really do listen to you and they have listened to you.”
The Royal Society’s Your Planet, Your Questions event brought scientists together to help answer student questions as a part of the Great Science Share for Schools campaign. Watch the entire 45-minute broadcast here.
Then learn more about climate change, sustainability, ecology, natural climate solutions, and solutions to all kinds of problems with videos on TKSST, including:
• How can nature be used as a tool to restore ecosystems?
• Imagine a world without fossil fuels
• How do bison help fight against climate change?
• Can rotting vegetables make electricity?
• Can we get solar power to everyone who wants it?
• How to Save Our Planet
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