When I think of November, I think of October’s crisp air with a slight frostbite. I think of donning thick, wooly sweaters to keep me warm as I traverse the piles of brown leaves lining the sidewalks. Last month, I did just that—in a t-shirt and shorts. 

November was quite tragic for me. I love wearing sweaters, and while October may have a few days when it’s appropriate, November usually has reliable sweater weather. Imagine my surprise then, when I, in the wake of November’s arrival, checked the weather to find that the first week of November would be hot. My sweaters thus begrudgingly went away until the days finally went back to the November I remember. 

I thought back to all those times I left the lights on when they could be off, or the faucet running a few seconds longer than needed. I felt at fault for November’s early heat; if only I could go back in time to turn off those lights. The true verdict of who’s guilty, though, is not that simple. 

Richmond hasn’t seen a record low temperature since 2014. However, two record highs occurred in 2022 alone, and another in 2023. New York and New Jersey saw fierce wildfires this past month after an unusually dry fall season. Beyond the United States, the rest of the world is feeling the heat, too. Mt. Fuji’s first snowfall came after a record-long wait this year: the snow fell a month after last year’s first snowfall. Kyrgyzstan’s thousands of glaciers situated on the more than 7,000-meter-up Tian Shan mountains are melting at alarming rates—shall I go on? 

While individual reduction of needless electricity and water consumption will help, it’s best to scrutinize the governments that can encourage the reversal of climate change. That side of the story in the U.S. isn’t looking so bright, though. As Trump returns to office, the U.S. will likely see cutbacks on climate-focused agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Interior. This is all in line with Project 2025, a political roadmap drafted by Trump allies that also calls for an overhaul of federal science agencies. If Trump carries through with Project 2025, existing environmental projects will lose vital resources and thus reduce their impact on reversing climate change.

Across the Atlantic, however, there’s a different story. India ranks fourth best in the Climate Change Performance Index 2024, an index that tracks climate change mitigation across the world. Conversely, the U.S. is ranked 57th. India has the largest population in the world–more than four times that of the U.S.–so how are they doing it? Pledges and commitment to those pledges. 

India is already on track to surpassing its pledge to reduce emissions by 45% below 2005’s levels before 2030. These actions come from the country’s COP26 pledge to fulfill the five nectar elements of “immortality” (Panchamrit), the most notable promise being net-zero emissions by 2070. 

India’s pledge to lower carbon emissions, even as a rapidly developing country, serves as a promising start. According to the NOAA, if all human emissions stopped today, Earth’s temperature would rise for a few decades–due to trapped gasses being released–before natural processes begin to remove these gasses and lower the planet’s temperature. In other words, climate change is still reversible. We still have time if we start now. Looking at India’s efforts, I know it’s possible to try. If everyone could try, though, we may see an even bigger change.

It probably won’t happen in my lifetime. There are unfortunately a lot of economic and political reasons why it can’t. I’ll keep my sweaters stored away for however long until it’s cold again, no matter how long into November or December that takes. Still, I’m hopeful that future generations can return to proper sweater weather one day. For now, though, let’s stick to what we can do as individuals and keep minimizing unnecessary energy consumption. 

Information retrieved from The BBC, Climate Change Performance Index, Daily Sabah, IMPRI India, National Weather Service, Vox, World Resources Institute, and Yale Climate Connections.