“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
A typical five-year old on a Saturday morning would likely be watching the Cartoon Network or Nickelodeon. Not me. I could be found watching The Weather Channel. I was enamored by the weather.
I grew up in New York’s Hudson Valley, and snowstorms were as certain as death and taxes. But just in my lifetime, average winter temperatures in my hometown have warmed 5°F, and snowstorms are now anything but certain.
Since 2001, 17 of the 18 warmest years on record have occurred. Having studied atmospheric science in college, it always stings when I hear my field of study debated as an ideology rather than accepted as scientific fact.
It's not an option to believe in climate change: It is something that has been conclusively observed by the scientific community. And it is happening right here and right now at a rate faster than many have predicted.
While this may sound ominous, I have hope. I am thoroughly convinced that business is best poised to solve what may be defined as the problem of our lifetime. And I believe the next generation of leaders will rise to this challenge. I certainly will.
— David Chan