“What do you want to be when you grow up?” 

Parents take pride in asking their kids this question and don’t bother to think twice about the possibility that their kids may not even have a future. Climate change has become an undeniable future, regardless of your social or financial status, according to Forbes. 

Our future has become overshadowed with questions about what our world will look like in the next five to ten years, while American politicians continue to dodge this pressing issue.

In our own state, thousands of residents evacuated their homes because of wildfires that burned more than 3.9 million acres and killed 30 people, according to CNN. The heat and drought have fueled a perfect environment for these flames to take over California, according to the New York Times. 

It’s difficult to admit, but having to experience these devastating effects of climate change firsthand, I’ve almost gotten accustomed to the deteriorating air quality and red skies. 

This list of disasters caused by climate change could go on forever, but people already know that. More specifically, American politicians already know that. 

Regardless of political party, politicians have found loopholes to escape the pressure climate activists and scientists have been placing on them to do something about climate change. 

According to Scientific American, democrats still haven’t included a goal of eliminating fossil fuel subsidies, while republicans still continue to deny that climate change exists, according to the New York Times. This shows the reality that neither political party has a climate change based agenda, and that needs to change now. 

The American government has not even taken the bare minimum action against climate change but instead continues to take donations from large fossil fuel corporations. Fossil fuel companies are rewarding American politicians with campaign donations for opposing environmental protections, according to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the United States. 

As long as fossil fuel companies discretely fund the government, there will be no change. Politicians need to stop taking funds from these companies and instead focus on funding their campaigns in a more ethical way that doesn’t damage the earth.  

The clock is ticking when it comes to addressing climate change. According to The Washington Post, with only seven years left, the government and politicians need to pass legislation like the Green New Deal, which would create thousands of green jobs while protecting the planet. Our government needs to recognize that climate change is a threat to humanity and therefore need to do everything possible to protect us. 

Change may begin with people’s attitudes, but it needs to be enacted by politicians and the government. For the sake of our future, the government must recognize its shortcomings, or else the future we imagine for this world — let alone this country — will be gone sooner than we think.