Hi guys! As you know, this is the week of Earth Day, and we on the Middle School Blog are taking some time to recognize Climate Change and to put out several environmentally-themed posts this week, of which this is the first.
So we know that most of you haven’t thought about “Global Warming” since first grade when we were all told to have a green thumb and take care of the Earth! But as we grow older, it is very important that we take action on Climate Change within our school community.
The biggest mistake most people make is to assume that Climate Change is a distant issue and that nothing will happen until long after we’re dead. But research has shown that that’s not true at all.
We get our energy from nonrenewable fossil fuels, and using them results in releasing poisionous gases into the air. This is progressively trapping heat in our atmosphere and warming the planet, which in turn is melting our ice caps and making sea levels rise.
In places like China and India, the air is already so polluted that it can sometimes become unbreathable. This may seem distant, but New York itself is heading along the same path, and in a few short years, we might not be able to go outside without a mask.
Our biggest safety net at the moment is the Amazon Rainforest, which sucks in a large percentage of the carbon dioxide we emit. However, this forest is being steadily destroyed to make our paper. If the rainforest disappears, we may not be able to keep temperatures from skyrocketing.
Scientists have recently declared that due to our brutal assaults on the environment, the sixth mass extinction in history has begun. We are now losing species at roughly the same rate as when the dinosaurs died out. If we do not act soon, it is possible that the ecosystems supporting humanity may collapse, leaving things looking pretty bleak for our race.
But the most important thing is not to lose hope. We will be publishing posts throughout the week on how we as middle schoolers can greatly reduce our impact on the environment without large changes to our daily routine. Stay tuned to the Procrastinator, follow our advice, and we’ll be doing all we can to keep our planet and our future safe.
By Andrew D. Harsh, photo credit epa.gov, asianews.it, and texasstateaquarium.org