Humans are the main cause of climate change, which is the warming of the earth’s atmosphere. Fossil fuel emissions release carbon into the air, which leads to an increase in temperature. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that controls our temperature because of the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is the trapping of the sun's warmth in the atmosphere due to visible radiation from the sun. Since humans caused this problem, it is our problem to solve. We can do this through solutions like regulations, technology, and social activism.
An unusual, but effective solution to climate change is space colonization and expansion. Space exploration ensures the survival of humanity because climate change is inevitable and may lead to the destruction of life on earth. Libertarians, who believe in individual rights, support this because it gives people the freedom to go to space and escape the warming planet, whereas solutions like regulating laws to reduce carbon emissions violate personal liberty. The minimal state protects individual rights, and going to space gives people the freedom to escape the warming planet and companies an opportunity to participate in the free market.
A challenge that I faced this semester was doing honors, both biology and math. It was something I knew I could handle, but that then led me to procrastinate. I felt a lack of support and no motivation to get the work done. I should have took it upon myself and made time devoted to honors work. Instead, I left everything to be done last minute and did not put 100% of my effort, when I could have learned more from the experience. Something I am proud of this semester is the writing we did in humanities because we practiced many argumentative essays. I felt that I have grown stronger in revising, structuring, and making claims in my writing. I feel that this semester prepared me for the future because I gained presentation skills, writing tips, and biology knowledge. I mastered the idea of climate change, which helped me understand more science and propose solutions.