The concern of a young student: « When nature is so generous, why would we be so ungrateful »

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Climate change is for sure the largest crisis the humanity has ever faced and if we don’t deal with this problem, before it’s too late, before the damage becomes irreversible it will be a catastrophe. The coronavirus disease should not take us away from other critical global problems, and climate change should be our main priority, because without our dear palnet, our sweet home, the only place, where the human race belongs and lives in comfort and happiness. 

We won’t survive just like animal races who are  getting extinct one after one, in fact up to 200 species are vanishing  every single day. We humans, if we don’t find good solutions quickly and start applying them immediately before it ‘s  too late, we will be the next on the list of extinct creatures.  I’m not writing this article today just to make you panic, but because there is still hope and we can still save the planet and ourselves. It’s right that we are running out of time but we can still fix this issue even in a small amount of time. It’s possible. So why don’t we stick together and fix this when we still have the chance ?

This article will examine the causes and effects of climate change and of course will attempt to give suggestions and solutions.

Main causes and effects of climate change :

The fundamental cause of this problem is mostly invisible to us, but it touches every single part of what constitutes our modern life today : our cars, our food, our houses, where we work…….Right now at this moment, there is CO2 pouring out of tailpipes, buildings, factories ; but you can’t see it.

Climate change is caused by greenhouse gases in the air. When the sunlight gets into the earth’s atmosphere, some of the heat gets trapped and the planet gets warmer. According to scientists, we are living in the sixth mass extinction and it’s happening faster than expected. Today, we can’t ignore the fact that we are mistreating the earth, our planet that hosted us for hundreds  of thousands of years and gave us everything we needed and even more than that but sadly, we are running it step by step without being aware of the bad consequences of our actions and most of our daily habits. We are risking our future, and fututre generations  will be in trouble.

That’s alarming right ?

Every time the Amount of CO2, in the air rises, the earth warms up, ice melts and the ocean rises. Sea levels have risen over the last two years in an alarming rate. Glacials are melting and biodiversity is declining. Horrific scenarios can take centuries of course but something like the sudden collapse of agriculture can trigger immediate chaos in society. Cities could be under water and entire island nations could completely disappear. To avoid dangerous climate change, they made the Paris agreement and every country had to set its own goal to limit global warming to well below 2°C, however the five years following the Paris agreement were the five hottest years ever recorded and the world has also emitted more than 200 gigatones  of CO2. Carbone emissions have to be limited and we have to use all available tools and best behaviors currently at our disposal.  We have to stop wasting time and start by spreading awareness and take immediate action. First of all, we need to protect our nature  and stop destroying our forests because we’re not just ruining beautiful landscapes, we are destroying the planet and ourselves therefore. The destruction contributes  a lot to the climate crisis.

So what can we do ? What are the possible solutions ?

Solutions and suggestions :

We all know that trees absorbée carbone from the atmosphere. That’s why, We need to protect our ancient forests and plant trees. The good thing is that nature can regenerate. So, We have to make space for forests to rewild. We can recycle wood we don’t need in our houses. In addition of farming trees, making plantations of trees for the wood people need. Of course , we can use technology to speed up the natural process. We can even make cities filled of trees cleaning the air. Then, we have to use more sustainable energy like solar energy and wind energy. Adding to that , we need to keep the fossil fuels in the ground and stop burning them, or at least use them carefully. Moreover, normal citizens have to be part in dealing with this crisis. People need to save energy and conserve electricity. There are many things you can do like air-drying clothes in summer months, taking public transit, walking to near places instead of using your car ; putting solar panels on your roof, eating less meat because products from animals release another polluant called Methane…

A UCLA  study found that the subtle social pressure encourages consumers to save energy. They put red dots for energy wasters, greens for those doing a great job and shiny gold star for those who are doing an amazing job to save the planet, and people  started using all the tools  they had in order to get the star and be nominated as the best energy saver in the town. Pretty cool right ?   In addition of speaking up and exercising your right  as a citizen so that, you make an impact. People need to raise their voices. I believe that change can be done by determined people working together to make it happen. Of course, governments need to work together to save the planet and stop being selfish and hungry for money and constant economical growth.

Together, we can create a better future  for us, make the world a better place, and live happily, healthily and peacefully.

  « Let’s save our planet and our future ! »

Mayssa Ben Mrad,   lycée Pilote Hammam-Lif