“Climate change will…”

“By 2050, global warming…”

We are all familiar with headlines that warn us of drastic changes in our global climate (only just in many years.) Consciously or not, these headlines lead us to believe that climate change is a far-away problem.

To many, the impacts of climate change are abstract—a couple polar bears dying 6,000 miles away or a flood in the Amazon. According to a recent Gallup poll, only 36 percent of Americans see climate change as a threat in their lifetime.

AP Environmental Science teacher Jonathan Grey warns, however, that we should absolutely be concerned about climate change now.

“It is affecting human populations in terms of sea level rise. Cities such as Miami are starting to come up with detailed plans on what to do about rising sea levels on the beachfront in places like Miami Beach, where we have huge buildings [at risk],” Grey said.

Living in Florida, the state with the most coastline in the continental United States, it is time to accept climate change as a reality.

In May, the U.S. government released the most in-depth climate assessment it has ever published. The National Climate Assessment highlighted major impacts from climate change felt in our country currently and that will only magnify as time goes on.

Beyond sea level rise, our state faces numerous other changes. In Florida, most of our fresh water comes from the natural limestone aquifer underground. As salt water levels rise, it flows into the aquifer and contaminates our drinking water.

As the ocean warms, it becomes more acidic as well. Consequently, our state’s coral reefs and fish, key to the tourism industry, are also harmed.

We can no longer afford the luxury of believing climate change to be a partisan issue or a far-flung abstraction. Like it or not, climate change is our reality, and procrastination in accepting that will only hurt us.