It’s time to start thinking about taking care of the environment.
By Raquel Quevedo Vasquez
At the fastest rate ever recorded, the average global temperature has increased in the last 50 years. This rise of temperature has been caused by carbon dioxide and other pollutants gasses that have been collected in the atmosphere and absorbed sunlight with solar radiation. These gases and other pollutants can last centuries causing Earth’s temperature to rise. The increased amount of carbon dioxide and other pollutants have been linked to extreme weathers such as powerful hurricanes, heavier rainfall, and frequent droughts. This extreme weather affects everyone, from the phytoplankton to the strongest person alive. Since this problem affects many and humans are the ones causing this problem, we should be able to fix this issue. This is a real and serious problem that not only affects this generation but the ones to come.
We all live on this planet so we should all learn how to take care of it and use its resources wisely. I understand that there are people who don’t believe that this is a serious and extremely concerning problem. You may hear global warming skeptics sarcastically say, “Look! There’s snow on the ground, so much for global warming.” Or “Global warming is something that happens naturally.” But when you look at the facts from credible scientists, you realize that the oceans have absorbed so much of the increased heat that the ice sheets are melting. An example of this would be the ice sheets in Greenland that have lost an average of 279 billion tons of ice per year between the years of 1993 and 2019. Antarctica’s ice sheets lost about 148 billion tons of ice per year. All of this ice melting has caused the sea levels to rise at a quicker rate than ever before. NASA stated, “Global sea level rose about 8 inches (20 centimeters) in the last century.” This rate is double compared to the last century. Snow will fall where it should. The amount of snow coverage is decreasing. NASA’S satellite has observed that the snow coverage in the Northern Hemisphere has decreased throughout the past five decades. The snow is also enticing earlier.
Currently, there are 7.8 billion people living on this planet. If we all start working together and reducing our carbon footprint, we can save the planet and make it habitable for generations to come. I know it sounds cliche to say that it takes one person to make a difference but if one person has the bravery to speak upon the concerns many have then it’s a start that will take years to fix.
Reducing your own carbon footprint is a way to help solve this problem. Some examples include, looking for a car with the highest gas mileage and lowest emissions. Or, when shopping for appliances, looking for the Energy Star Label. Taking public transportation or carpooling can help reduce your carbon footprint. You can also voice your support and concerns to climate change policies. The more people who voice their concerns about climate change and the amount of fossil fuels that we are burning, our representatives will notice and will be forced to act on it.
