A Climate Call

By Delara B.

The Earth is hurting. According to Climate Clock, a non-profit organization that tracks global warming, we have 6 years to limit our global warming to 1.5 C. or irreversible damage will happen.  Carbon dioxide is starting to cause natural disasters all around Earth. But did you know it hurts you too?

According to the California Government, carbon monoxide, a gas released by humans that affects climate change, is bad because it reduces the ability of blood to carry oxygen. It results in fatigue, headaches, and confusion. That’s not even a big amount of carbon monoxide. This and many more greenhouse gasses have been released by climate change. This is one reason showing that climate change affects all of us.

Climate change also hurts the environment. There have been more and more storms, droughts, heat waves, melting glaciers, and rising and warming seas, according to the World Wildlife Fund.  That hurts animal habitats and even our homes! According to CNBC, natural weather-related disasters in 2021 made that year one of the costliest years in natural disasters with 20 disasters having the altogether cost of $145 billion dollars.

So now we know what climate change does, how do we stop it? For starters, there are many things adults can do, such as elect officials with good climate policies, or, if they own a company, ensure they reduce their carbon footprint. Now, assuming you are a kid, you may think it is much harder for you to do those big things. Guess what? You can do little things too! 

One solution is recycling! According to WasteAdvantage, it takes 80-100 years for aluminum cans to decompose in a landfill. Instead of throwing it in the trash, you can have it recycled. Recycling is the process of taking a material and making it into something new. Did you know that 75% of waste is recyclable? Yep. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that we only recycle 30% of it. That’s not enough. Recycling helps the environment and stops climate change. So start recycling! Hard plastics, paper, and cardboard all go into recycling. Americans generate over 4.4 pounds of trash per day, according to World Bank researchers. Slice that up and start recycling!

Goal 13 of the Sustainable Development Goals is to stop climate change. Now, by reading this article, you know how to help. Guess what? The most important thing is to tell others! You can take after me and write an essay, or you can simply tell one of your friends. The most important thing is, you helped. Chances are, your friend will tell their friend, who will tell her friend, who will tell his friend, and, before you know it, we are one step closer to stopping climate change.

"Small actions, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world."

— Howard Zinn, American historian