Remember when it was cold throughout winter in Miami? Neither do I. The year 2016 was declared the hottest year on record. However, many Republicans, including the new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator, former Oklahoma attorney general Scott Pruitt, have established a record of outright denying climate change in a way that makes people wonder what he will do as head of the EPA. If someone as influential as Pruitt has this belief then it shows that many people may think the same way which is concerning for our planet’s future.

“Global warming is a real thing, it’s been scientifically proven that the globe is heating up, the ice caps are melting, and I think that Trump is pretty closed minded to not believe that,” sophomore Maurizio Gomez said.

This animation shows that as the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increases, the global temperature increases, arctic sea ice melts and sea levels rise. In fact, Miami and much of southern and coastal Florida is now technically below sea level. Pruitt co-wrote an article for the National Review that does not do much explaining of the issue, but rather picked away at studies done as part of the “liberal hoax” that human activity causes global climate change. Pruitt believes that since it still snows there is no possibly way the globe is warming even though it has been proven by multiple longitudinal research studies.

Pruitt is not alone in his beliefs; about 62 percent of all registered Republicans deny that climate change is real and that it was caused by human activity, citing “it still gets cold.” Although it may get cold, it certainly will not stay that way for long. Once the ice caps melt the earth will just keep getting hotter and water levels will rise eventually leaving people in low elevation areas underwater.

Some people acknowledge climate change is real and was caused by humans, however, they believe that it will be a good thing making statements such as “in 100 years we can sunbathe in Alaska.” Many of these future sunbathers will not be too happy when the ozone layer has been depleted by global warming giving them an increased chance of developing skin cancer. Also, as the polar ice caps melt, animals like polar bears and penguins will find it difficult to survive without land to stand on.

“Global warming is a real phenomenon, our ozone layer is destroyed and Trump is a moron if he doesn’t recognize that,” freshman Gabriella Rudd said.

The country’s soon-to-be head of EPA denies climate change and will likely contribute to the problem in the future. Climate change is a reality that must be combated with the use of alternative energy sources like solar, geothermal and even nuclear energies. If things remain as they are now, Earth’s future will be like a good s’more: melty, hot and a little burnt.