Essay On Progressive Era
One hundred years have passed since the Progressive Era of 1900-1916 and although the world has seen remarkable “progress” for certain causes since then, there are many issues that still have not been addressed. Change is not immediate and the Progressive Era’s successes were manifestations of problems first addressed years before gaining wide public attention. Similar to the dilemmas faced one hundred years ago, we now face a quandary that has been discussed for around two decades: climate change. By taking closer look at the successes and failures, the methods and techniques of the Progressive Era, and especially the rise of feminism, we can determine a better approach to managing climate change. The feminist struggle relates very closely
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Thanks to Bill McKibben, this complicated problem can be reduced down to three numbers: 2℃, 565 Gigatons, and 2,795 Gigatons. McKibben explains that 2℃ is what the world has agreed, “to hold the increase in global temperature [to].” This is a good first step, however, there are issues with this number. The earth has already endured a change of 0.8℃ and its effects are far worse than previously expected. Besides this, there are other issues with the two degree consensus. For example, this leads us to the next number: 565 Gigatons, the amount of carbon that can be put into the atmosphere in the next 35 years without surpassing the agreed upon two degrees of change. The problem because clear when McKibben delivers the final number: 2,795 Gigatons, roughly five times that of 565, is the amount of carbon the fossil fuel companies are intending to burn. Although world leaders are making strides to stop the effects of climate change, we are fast approaching the devastating consequences of “too little, too late.” By looking at the Progressive Era and the feminist movement during that time, we can learn how they were able to finally enact change after a long period of discussing the issues. At this point, adjustments at the individual level will not have a visible effect on reversing climate change; we need a climate
Thanks to Bill McKibben, this complicated problem can be reduced down to three numbers: 2℃, 565 Gigatons, and 2,795 Gigatons. McKibben explains that 2℃ is what the world has agreed, “to hold the increase in global temperature [to].” This is a good first step, however, there are issues with this number. The earth has already endured a change of 0.8℃ and its effects are far worse than previously expected. Besides this, there are other issues with the two degree consensus. For example, this leads us to the next number: 565 Gigatons, the amount of carbon that can be put into the atmosphere in the next 35 years without surpassing the agreed upon two degrees of change. The problem because clear when McKibben delivers the final number: 2,795 Gigatons, roughly five times that of 565, is the amount of carbon the fossil fuel companies are intending to burn. Although world leaders are making strides to stop the effects of climate change, we are fast approaching the devastating consequences of “too little, too late.” By looking at the Progressive Era and the feminist movement during that time, we can learn how they were able to finally enact change after a long period of discussing the issues. At this point, adjustments at the individual level will not have a visible effect on reversing climate change; we need a climate