I distinctly remember learning about climate change in elementary school in the 1980s. We students were terrified as our teachers informed us about the “greenhouse effect” and the fact that too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would lead to dangerous warming of the Earth. What’s more, they told us about an even-more-pressing threat, the “hole in the ozone layer.” By running our refrigerators, we were destroying our only protection against dangerous ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. And don’t forget “acid rain,” brought on by pollution caused by too many people driving cars. 

While in high school in the ’90s, I remember being taught about global warming as fact. During my junior year, my chemistry teacher told us how we had hit “peak oil,” and the world would run out of oil in the next few decades. 

While in my early 20s, I didn’t give much thought to these issues, but they were always in the back of my mind, as something that needed to be addressed “someday.” 

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