It seems ironic to Aryan Ranjan that we live in a country where more people would rather get weather predictions from a groundhog than actually listen to climate change evidence from scientists. Yet, when we see our sea levels rising, when we see our hurricanes getting stronger, and when we see places getting flooded that have never been flooded before, we turn a blind eye. We turn a blind eye to the very problem that we have created - not as Democrats, not as Republicans, but as human beings.

Unfortunately, the phrase “climate change” in and of itself has taken on a very negative connotation over the years. In fact, if you even mention the words “climate change” to anybody, it will almost always result in a heated debate. Aryan has tried. He says, "The cold hard truth is that the phrase 'climate change' has become a trigger word for both sides of the political spectrum to a point that people don’t even feel comfortable talking about it anymore." But that begs the question: Why? Why is it that we always have to take politics into account for everything? Does the thermometer give us a different temperature depending on whether we are Democrats or Republicans? Of course not! One hundred degrees is going to be 100 degrees across the board. Yet, that’s how we view things in modern society. But the real question is: Will we ever find a solution to climate change? At the rate we’re going, the simple answer is no. Because every time we take a step toward coming up with a solution for climate change, we actually end up taking four steps backward. And the media doesn’t make it any better. Based on the media, it seems as if there is no hope left. But, in Aryan's talk, he will tell you that climate change breakthroughs exist, and even more importantly, he says we have a decent shot to end this climate crisis. Aryan believes through education and adherence to climate commitments, we can make the necessary changes to protect our planet. He is a member of Citizens Climate Lobby, a non-profit, non-partisan, grassroots advocacy organization dedicated to lobbying for national legislation for climate solutions. Through this organization, Aryan has been able to meet with local elected officials to discuss climate solutions. He is also Founder and President of the Climate Change club at American Heritage, which empowers other high schoolers at AHS by giving them the chance to discuss concerns and solutions regarding climate change. Additionally, Aryan is Captain of the Junior High Congressional Debate team, Treasurer of the Mu Alpha Theta Honor Society, Officer of Model United Nations, and a member of Congressman Ted Deutch’s Congressional Youth Cabinet. Aryan is honored to give a TED Talk and hopes he is able to influence more youth to get involved with climate action. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx