The Daily Tar Heel
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The Daily Tar Heel

There is a very good chance that this will be the hottest first week of classes in UNC history.

This semester follows a record-breaking summer of sweat, sunburns and sweltering heat. Over 170 all-time warm temperature records were broken or tied during June, contributing to the warmest 12-month period in the U.S. since record keeping began in 1895.

Politicians and media junkies may still be sitting in air-conditioned offices debating the global warming “myth,” but after spending my Fourth of July getting cooked faster than my barbecue, I am convinced beyond a doubt: The effects of climate change are here.

The good news is the majority of Americans do seem to agree with me and the 97 percent of American scientists who are convinced about global warming. Over 60 percent of Americans consider climate change a serious problem, and a Gallup poll in March showed 55 percent of respondents were worried about global warming.

We care, so why don’t we show it? This disconnect may be due more to how our brains are hard wired. Any freshman in PSYC 101 knows about the human tendency to prefer immediate gratification, no matter how dire the long-term consequences are.

But awareness of this biological flaw can assist you in counteracting it.

For example, many universities are encouraging students to change their default printer settings to double-sided to save paper. It may seem overly simplistic, but it will ensure that you’ll never forget to change the setting.

Another psychological barrier to combating climate change is our social nature. Right now the crowd just isn’t finding it cool to care about global warming. A study by the American Psychological Association suggested how many people see this as a situation requiring large-scale societal changes, not just one individual’s attempts.

But our desire for acceptance can also be a tool in fighting climate change.

Psychological Science journal showed how simply telling people how their neighbors and peers used less power prompted them to cut their consumption. If a significant portion of students encouraged their peers to lessen their impact, the entire school’s energy use could be decreased. Peer pressure isn’t always bad.

We also can implement programs that take advantage of UNC’s close-knit community. The Residence Hall Association has recently partnered with the Bike Share Task Force to develop the University’s first bicycle share program called Tar Heel Bikes. Students can check out one of 30 bikes at Craige, Ehringhaus or Hinton James Residence Halls. This encourages cooperation to increase sustainability and should be expanded.

So, as a blistering summer closes, consider making a few resolutions. We can’t change the way our brains work, but we can be wiser about our actions. After all, the greatest thing about a mind is the ability to change it.

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