Addressing Climate Change

Everything we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment.

More than 100 years ago, people in Rochester, and many other places around the world, started burning large amounts of coal, oil and natural gas, for heat, to power machines, and to generate electricity. These fossil fuels helped elevate standards of living here, and around the world. But they also added large amounts of carbon dioxide, or CO2, as well as other greenhouse gases into our atmosphere.

These greenhouse gases prevent some heat from escaping the earth out into space. Their levels continue to rise, so our planet is getting hotter. As a result, scientists predict that rainfall patterns will change, causing more droughts and flooding, that sea levels will rise, and that hurricanes will become stronger.

But if we act now, it’s not too late to prevent more severe changes to the earth’s climate. Sustainability helps create and maintain the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in harmony, to support current and future generations. This tour shows you locations all around greater Rochester where you can see sustainable practices in action. You’ll learn more about climate change, and what we can do to help protect our planet.

To learn more about climate change, tap: https://climateprimer.mit.edu/

Some of the content in this tour was developed and recorded by Mira and Michael, students at the University of Rochester, as part of their sustainability class. If you have ideas for new content, please send them to ken@tourblend.com