2015 Expressions on a Sustainable UMD: The Power to Change May 2015 | Page 17

Carla Abdo
Government and Politics Doctoral Candidate
Class of 2016
My fight against climate change is grounded in the desire to
create a world that is balanced and socially just. Ours is a world
where shocking realities exist. The Middle East is home to only
1.7% of the world’s water supply, and water availability ranges
from 200-650 cubic meters per person annually, when 2000
cubic meters is the required amount for comfortable water use
(Roudi-Fahimi et. al, 2002). Indeed, ours is a world where 40%
of the population in Mali have trouble finding their next meal
(World Food Programme, 2014). Our transnational resource
mismanagement resulted environmental impacts severe enough
to create climate refugees in Kenya, Chad, Bangladesh, and the
Pacific Islands (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 2015). These are but three of
many examples of the results of the effects of climate change. Our policies have not caught up
with these emerging realities, and it is our job to rectify the wrongs that we have created.
The development of a socially just world is grounded in the development of sustainable practice.
Creating and promoting lifestyles in which our consumption does not strain environmental
resources, does not pollute, and is long-lasting is key to managing climate change. Developing
green technology and making it affordable for popular use is critical in the fight against climate
change. Educating future generations about the necessity of ecological citizenship is key in
fighting climate change. Addressing macro-level economic structures and creating mechanisms of
accountability on international, national, and local levels of governance is key to creating,
developing, and maintaining a world in which all are able to co-exist comfortably.
The right to live in a world free of environmental threat is why I work to educate others about
environmental politics, and practice environmentalism in every way that I can daily. In doing so, I
am compelled to discuss climate change, environmental protection, social justice, equity, and
global citizenship. Worrying about the environment is no longer a luxury—it is key to our survival,
and I am proud to call this fight mine.
References:
Roudi-Fahimi, F. et al. (2002). Finding the Balance: Population and Water Scarcity in the Middle
East
and
North
Africa.
Population
Reference
Bureau,
1-8
World Food Progamme. (2014). 10 Things Everyone Should Know About Hunger in Mali.
http://www.wfp.org/countries/mali/
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (2015). Climate Change: The Storm Ahead.
http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49e4a5096.html

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