As spring sets in and the weather warms, all I think about is how it’s been a hell of a winter in North Carolina.

With a sunny Christmas that warranted shorts, to unusual snow during the month of March in certain areas, North Carolina has had its ups and downs this past winter. Although the unusual temperature patterns are nothing new to this state, they are getting more and more out of whack.

Contrary to people labeling North Carolina as having “bipolar” weather, this isn’t supposed to be the norm. The abnormal temperatures during the winter are just one example of the effects of global warming.

The effects of global warming are more catastrophic than warm Christmases in North Carolina. Natural disasters are becoming more frequent, violent and expensive to bounce back from. People in other countries are dying of thirst from droughts. Several species of plants and animals go on the endangered list each and every day. The list goes on and on.

With scientific evidence to prove global warming as the cause of these issues, there’s still a debate about government regulations in the U.S. Some politicians deny the very existence of global warming itself, whereas others shrug it off. Our very own president has denied global warming and is taking small and quiet steps to break apart the government regulations that have been put into place to protect the environment.

What angers me about the dismantling of these vital regulations is the argument behind it that the government shouldn’t take part in environmental issues. There are many other arguments that annoy me, but this one hits home.

Written in the Constitution is the government’s obligation to grant citizen’s the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Although the Founding Fathers didn’t have environmental protections from carbon emission in mind, consideration for the environment is nevertheless applicable.

When it is projected that rising sea levels from global warming will put the city of Miami completely under water within the next 10 years, many people’s lives and happiness will definitely be compromised. That is when the government needs to take action to prevent things like this.

The government was established to create policies that protect its citizens. Shouldn’t our politicians do everything in their power to protect the American people from the detriments of global warming?

They should, but they aren’t.

Instead, policies to protect the environment are being thrown out to appease to big companies that are contributing to carbon emissions in the first place.

It’s shameful to me that money talks louder than the pleas of protesters and scientists who are desperately trying to save our environment. It’s also scary to me what condition our society will be in in 20; how many more disasters and lost species will there be?

Our hope at this point is to keep protesting and be more diligent in selecting leaders who care about our environment and ultimately, our wellbeing.

While I maintain my wishful thinking, I’ll keep ordering as many meals with salmon in it as I can before they end up extinct from rising water temperatures. I’ll also keep my wardrobe diverse for these “bipolar” North Carolina winters.