Editor’s Note: Each composition class participated in a competition, choosing one guest editorial to be published in The Broadside. This essay was chosen to represent Ms. Persico’s class.
Ever outside in the middle of winter and realize it’s a surprisingly warm day? You go outside and
soak in the warmth while hoping every day could be like that. Now what if you knew it was
warm outside because of climate change, a phenomenon that leads to over 150,000 animal and
human deaths annually. You likely would not wish for more days like that. If we do not act now,
climate change will soon make Earth unlivable.
Despite ironclad evidence, many people refuse to believe that climate change is real. The first
step in reversing climate change is educating the people on what’s happening. According to
NASA, “Glaciers are retreating almost everywhere around the world — including in the Alps,
Himalayas, Andes, Rockies, Alaska, and Africa”. NASA’s point is that climate change is
happening all over the world, not just in one area. Melting glaciers may not seem to be such an
intimidating force that can end our world, but it proves the Earth’s temperature is rising. Just to
prove how detrimental climate change is to our world, Luke Kemp, a research associate from the
University of Cambridge says, “If I’m to say, what do I think is the biggest contributor to the
potential for human extinction going towards the future? Then climate change, no doubt,”. In
other words, Kemp believes climate change could make Earth unlivable for humans. Kemp’s
research also concluded that every mass-extinction event in history can be attributed to some
form of climate change. He’s urging people to take action by expressing his assuredness in
saying climate change could lead to human extinction.
I have personally noticed the effects of climate change many times. I’ve seen it several days of
the month when the weather is freakishly warm. Days of the week are ten to fifteen degrees
hotter than the day before. Although I love the warm weather, I realize it’s a serious effect of
climate change, and it shows how much our planet has already been affected.
Many people who struggle to believe climate change is real would certainly argue that to deal
with climate change, it would be too expensive. Yet it does not take big corporations or a lot of
money to fight climate change, anyone can do it in the comfort of their home. Simple ways to
fight climate change are to recycle, invest in environmentally safe products (which are not as
expensive as you may believe), and to be conscious of anything you do that may impact the
environment negatively.
So, next time you’re sitting in your car not doing anything, remember you are slowly polluting
our Earth. Don’t hesitate to shut it off. Save money, energy, and the planet.