Say goodbye to your home. Our once lush earth is dying due to climate change. It is happening now, and if we don’t address this imminent situation now, when things are still fixable, then your grandchildren or even children may not be able to live in this world as we once knew it.
Your grandchildren would not get to experience the wonders of animals, because they are now all extinct, due to climate change destroying their habitats. Animals would lose their food sources and homes. As a result, the animals would venture out of their usual areas into human territory. This is already happening worldwide. Lions are venturing closer to villages and eating the farmers’ livestock. These farmers depend on their livestock: cattle and goats, for money and food. This pushes their hand to kill these majestic lions to protect their source of income. This is neither the lion’s nor the farmers’ fault, but instead yours. Farmers in remote villages do not have the opportunities or resources that you or I do. They are forced to take unsavory actions to protect themselves. In addition, bears are also being pushed towards human-populated areas in North America. Bears have been found rummaging through human trash and swimming in human swimming pools.
You may think it’s cute and funny until you accidentally stumble upon one in the dead of night, trying to throw away your trash. How would you like to be mauled by a 600 pound bear, who has a bite force of 975 PSI? Mind you, this is just for a black bear. Imagine if you instead come across its much larger cousins: polar bears and grizzly bears. A polar bear is around 10 feet tall on its hind legs and 1,500 pounds. The icebergs are melting, which means they, too, are losing their homes and being pushed onto the outskirts of human towns near areas like Alaska. They won’t just kill you right away; you will feel every single bite or scratch on your flesh. You could encounter a bear that will scar you for the rest of your life if you’re lucky. Have fun getting mauled to death by a bear if you do not put a stop to climate change now.
Climate change affects our food sources, too. Heat waves and droughts will turn the fertile fields into barren wasteland. This will cause a drop in food supplies, which will drive up the price of food. It is called cost and demand. When there is a high demand for food, but there is a shortage of it, then the price of it will soar. Would you want a future where only the rich could eat? Just like in France in the 1770s, where only the upper class could afford to buy food, and the lower, poorer class civilians suffered from starvation. Emaciated, half-dead people would lie in the streets dying from a lack of food, while the rich would have feasts in their castles. This soon could be us. Ordinary folks like us would be French peasants, and the wealthy would be the French aristocrats and bourgeoisie. Famines would spread like wildfire as wildfires are currently spreading across the world. Not long ago, we had a calamitous wildfire: the LA fires. Over 40,000 acres of land are burned to a crisp. Homes, schools, and restaurants are now destroyed along with people’s livelihoods. It’s not going to end in just LA. Soon, it may be where you live next. Your home will go up in flames, and you won’t have the means to rebuild it. Memories that you shared in that home will soon be a whisper. Don’t wait until it happens to you. Make a change now.
Instead of using nonrenewable energy sources, such as fossil fuels or coal, try using wind, solar, and water energy. More than half of renewable energy is cheaper than using traditional energy. Not only is this going to save the planet, but it will also save your pocket. Put down your gasoline cars and opt for a more sustainable electric car. Furthermore, electric cars are also less maintenance-intensive. Another transportation option would be taking the bus or train. Walking and biking are the more sustainable transportation options. Buy high-quality things that would last a lifetime rather than cheap, flimsy things that would break in a couple of weeks. This adds up over time and will cost you more money in the long run, and contributes to consumerism. Only buy what you need and not trendy fast fashion items that will end up in landfills when the internet deems them “not cool” anymore. Start buying your produce and things you need from local or eco-friendly businesses. When buying food, try to get more planet-based meals. Raising animals for consumption emits more greenhouse gases than growing vegetables and fruits. Raise awareness so that more people will know about how climate change is dangerous. Contact your state senator about this issue so our government can help us.
I hope that you have awoken from your ignorant slumber and realize that change is needed now. Climate change will continue to affect everything all around the globe, and just because you aren’t affected now doesn’t mean that it won’t get you. It is a tumor that sucks the life out of the earth. Open your eyes to the cataclysmic peril that looms over your future. Do not be complicit and sit idly by while this disaster is occurring in real time.
Quyen Nguyen – Loyola Academy – DMSF Class of 2029
Photo Credit: Nicola – Adobe Stock