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[natures-heroes]

Combatting Climate Change

What is Climate Change?

Help! Climate Change has taken the world hostage, and no one is doing anything to help. Climate Change is a major crisis on Earth, that we call home as well as the billions of different species of plants and animals. Almost all of us have heard of Climate Change and its effects on the environment, especially regarding the recent Australian bushfires. Jesse Yeung, CNN author, explains in her informative article, “Australia’s Deadly Wildfires are Showing No Signs of Stopping”, that Australia has had one of the driest and longest droughts in its history, causing millions of trees to burn and over a billion animals to be affected. However, many of us are unaware of what the true cause of climate change is. Social media is a fantastic tool within our society in spreading relevant information in a matter of seconds that it takes to push a button. The downfall of social media is that it shows us what people want to see, for example, the millions of koalas that have been affected by the bushfires. It does not show us what the root cause of these natural catastrophes. Climate change is caused by the destruction of the ozone layer that protects Earth’s surface from the harmful rays of the sun. The ozone layer acts as a bubble around the planet and when it gets broken up, holes appear within the bubble allowing UV rays emitted from the sun to have a direct path into Earth and its atmosphere. These rays continually raise the temperature of the surface causing ice to melt and drought periods to increase. These effects can be noticed within the increasing sea levels and long-lasting droughts in California and Australia, which is a major cause of the harmful wildfires. Within this blog, I will dive further into the effect of climate change to show how our society is the biggest enemy to our planet’s environment and future. I will also show how college students, like myself, can make simple changes within our daily lives that can have a lasting impact on climate change.

Cars are a major problem…

The damaging of the ozone layer can be directly correlated with the harmful lifestyles of society. Every day, millions of cars are used all around the world which emits an exhaust that contains many harmful chemicals such as carbon dioxide and methane. Vehicles are one of the biggest producers of carbon dioxide, especially in highly populated regions such as the United States. From the Union of Concerned Scientists, from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, reported in the article “Car Emissions and Global Warming” that cars and trucks contribute to about one-fifth of all US submissions. This amounts to about 24 pounds of carbon dioxide being released into the air.  Industrial buildings and factories also release several fumes into the atmosphere. All of the chemicals that come off these different machines cannot disappear; they must be transferred into less harmful substances. Naturally, trees provide an excellent source for this carbon cycle by converting carbon dioxide into oxygen. However, thousands of trees are cut down every hour through the process of deforestation throughout the world. Forests like the Amazon Rainforest are cut down as part of the government policies to create space for agriculture and commercial purposes. The Amazon Rainforest is one of the most vital sources for the carbon cycle that takes care of a large percentage of the carbon dioxide, taking this away poses a major threat to our environment. Without trees and plants, the carbon dioxide would accumulate in great numbers within the atmosphere, breaking down the ozone layer. Not only does our society continue to perform harmful actions like excessive plastic usage and large carbon dioxide emissions, but it also takes away one of the most important sources of carbon elimination through deforestation. It seems that the conservation of the planet is a never-ending task and any action that we take to combat climate change is fruitless. However, we still have plenty of time to prevent the further destruction of the ozone layer and a little action that we do can have a rippling effect on the world around us.

Government’s involvement in fighting Climate Change…

As a college student/young adult, I have always felt that I have an obligation to create a healthier future for myself and generations to come by contributing to conservation efforts. However, it is difficult to discover practical ways to make changes in my lifestyles to be eco-friendlier. It is especially difficult within a society that has stubborn political leaders that may not believe in climate change and do not want to implement policies to enact change within commercial businesses. As college students, we are at the age where we can participate in government voting and issues. We can contact our state senators and representatives to urge for support of laws that vouch for a healthier community and nation. Green Laws constantly move through Congress yet are not put into effect due to lack of support. Matthew Mason is an author in the field of environmental science and explains in his article “Environmental Law: Government and Public Policy Towards the Environment” that green laws are a highly debated topic within the government. The debate is focused around the cost to perform these changes, the necessity of these regulations, and how businesses would be impacted by the statutes. The Government should not base the voting on these regulations on how the commercial businesses are affected and instead seek to understand how the environment can be positively impacted by these laws. If we hope to prevent climate change and natural catastrophes from occurring, we have to cooperate with each other. Our society is too focused on what is beneficial to the individual or the side that we do not think about the planet as a whole and the quality of its future.

Simple solutions cause a big impact.

Making a difference does not have to be on a large scale like contacting political leaders, small changes that we make in our daily life can have equal impact. Reducing the amount of car usage is an easy and practical way of contributing. Every day, millions of college students drive to classes, work, and extracurricular activities. Cars are one of the biggest emitters of harmful chemicals and one university can accumulate a lot of carbon dioxide over time. There are numerous solutions to reducing the amount of car usage on college campuses. Students can walk, bike, take the bus, or even carpool between classes. Reducing the number of carbon emissions in any way can greatly help in the efforts of protecting the ozone layer. Another way in which each of us, individually, can make a difference is by reducing the amount of paper and plastic products. Paper products are made out of trees and if there is a high demand for the paper then more trees will continue to be cut down especially in rainforests where trees are abundant in nutrients. According to Terese Colling, in the article “How Paper Recycling Effects Global Warming”, unrecycled paper products release methane gas. Methane is a chemical that has 21 times greater heat-trapping power in comparison to carbon dioxide. This exhibits that methane is a very harmful gas that can break down the ozone layer, contributing to climate change. We could resort to using technology, such as iPads, or even whiteboards to do homework. iPads and computers offer the ability to write and type without using any paper products. The plastic reduction is another key solution to fighting Climate Change. Many plastic products are made with harmful and toxic chemicals that have an extended life span. Expert sustainability writer, Rick Leblanc, states in the article “How Long Does It Take Garbage to Decompose” that it can take up to 1000 years for plastic to completely decompose. When the plastics are burned, the harmful chemicals are released into the atmosphere. These chemicals are industrially synthesized and are not natural chemicals in which the environment has a way of breaking down. Many plastics can be recycled, but recycling creates a different problem rather than being a solution. Large countries, like the United States, send large amounts of “recycling” to poorer Southeast Asian countries to deal with. Most of the recycling sent are plastic water bottles and containers. The countries have nowhere to put the recycling and large amounts end up in the waterways, killing the ecosystems. Once the recycling enters the waterways, it washes away to other places, such as a forest. The plastics can greatly harm the forests, destroying trees that are so crucial to the carbon cycle. Practical ways in which we can help is by using reusable products and utensils. I personally carry around my own metal water bottle instead of buying plastic water bottles. I always carry a pack of bamboo, reusable utensils when going to different restaurants. These solutions are all easy, practical ways in which we can each, individually contribute to conservation efforts.

Build an army to fight Climate Change.

Being informed and spreading awareness is one of the best solutions to counteracting the climate change crisis that is lingering over our planet. Watching the news, listening to podcasts, and skimming through social media that is based on climate change and the fight for conservation are great ways to keep updated on most relevant information. Being aware of the issue allows you to have important conversations as well as gives you the ability to have your own point of view of the situation. For example, many people are not aware of how climate change even occurs concerning the ozone layer or how humans are a direct cause of the increasing global temperatures. Knowing these pieces of information will give you a sense of urgency to make a difference in the world through your own actions. Talking with one another about this topic is also key to coming up with a solution. Bouncing ideas off of one another allows others to become informed on the issue as well as thinking of more ways to change your own harmful habits that pose threats to the environment. Climate Change is a major crisis and one person cannot save the Earth alone. Talk to your friends and family, tell them what changes they need to make to help the planet. Building an army is essential in making a difference within our environment. To enact change within ourselves and the community, we must ask how society’s harmful actions, as well as inaction, affect climate change and the death of ecosystems? Are we willing to make necessary changes within our lives that promote a healthier future for our planet and the generations to come? We must realize that throughout human history, people are the biggest enemy to our environment and that change needs to come. The Earth still has time to be saved but our society must start to make small alterations in our lifestyles. Everyone can help and be the person to save the planet from man-made extinction. So, will you be Earth’s real-life hero?

[natures-heroes]

About Me

Hello, to start my blog I would first like to introduce myself so that you get a better image of who I am and my personality. Ever since I was a child, I was always fascinated by the natural world with its animals and plants. I have always wanted to learn as much as I possibly could about nature and just experience it in its fullest forms. I used to have books about animals that gave random facts about different species of animals. I would memorize all of the facts and tell my siblings every time we went to the zoo. I quickly gained a strong passion for animals and protecting them in their natural habitats. As I continued to grow older, I discovered more ways in which I can make a bigger difference within the world around me. I attended two Columbus Zoo Teen Eco Summits to represent my high school where I was able to learn and create ways in which our community was able to make changes to promote a more eco-friendly lifestyle. My team and I were able to come up with a plan to replace the school’s old water fountains with brand new water stations that will also refill reusable water bottles. This in term decreases the amount of plastic water bottles that are bought and thrown away each day. As a senior in high school, I was invited to a national convention for conservation in Vancouver. I have had the opportunity to learn how to make an impact but show others in my community how they can make a difference. In present day, I have been selected to go to Ghana for research in the conservation of chimpanzees, turtles, and ecosystems. This gives me the opportunity to make a difference in a place other than my own community. This program will fulfill many personal goals of mine as well as be a major stepping stone in my future of conservation. 

[natures-heroes]

Ten Things I Love About Climate Change for Teens

1. I love talking about my passion for helping the environment and contributing to conservation with other people that are also passionate about it. Sharing passions with other people allow you connect in an easy way and work together in accomplishing a particular goal. 

2. There are so many issues going on in the world that are mainly caused by humans lack of awareness and willingness to change their lifestyles. Seeing these problems occurring establishes a sense of urgency within us to do as much as we can to help. 

3. I personally love learning about different habits that I can implement in my own lifestyle that can reduce the amount of waste that I produce. For example, I recently started using reusable bamboo utensils instead of plastic utensils that are offered at many different stores and restaurants. 

4. Teaching others how they can make small changes in their habits to cause a big impact. Many people my change are willing to make changes to their lifestyles but have no idea what to do so I am able to teach them how they can make a difference.

5. Seeing the impact that I am making is also such a rewarding feeling for me because when you put a lot of effort in to something you want to see a difference being made. Even the smallest actions performed can cause a big ripple in climate change action. For example, deciding to ride a bike or walk back and forth between classes can reduce the amount of exhaust being released into the atmosphere. 

6. Attending events based on climate change for teens allows you to meet like minded people that have a desire to make a difference in the same field as you. You gain a sense of teamwork from it and don't feel like you are the only one those ideas. For example, in high school I attended an Eco Summit at my zoo where I was not only able to learn about climate change and its effect on the environment but you also get to learn what you can do.

7. Ever since I was a young kid, I always wanted to do the most to protect the animals that are in the habitats that are being destroyed every single day. They are not able to protect themselves so some people have to step up to the challenge in combatting climate change. Approximately 1 billion animals were effected by the recent Australian brushfires which was a cause of the increasing temperature of the planet. 

8. Since I am a big advocate for the health of the ecosystems and combatting climate change, I also believe that our government has a responsibility of enacting green laws in which companies are forced to create products and goods in a more eco-friendly way. I can write to government or even get petitions signed to communicate with our politicians the necessity of having these laws in place to protect the future of our planet. 

9. Conservation actions do not just stop at combatting climate change, but plastic pollution and deforestation of our planets jungles are harming the environment and its animals. Therefore, there are so many actions that we can do to make a difference. 

10. I love that so many people have a desire to make an impact within our worlds future that it is easy to team up with one another to work towards a specific goal. Just by posting on social media we are expressing the ideas that we have allowing others to also share their own perspectives. We have this ability to communicate with people all around and recognize the actions that need to be done to promote better world health.

[natures-heroes]

Hello fellow tumblrs, get ready to learn how to save the world!