Environmental Writing

Climate Change: How to Make a Difference

By: HatSp8

Someone very wise once said "There are no passengers on spaceship earth. Only crew." He was right. Climate change isn't just an issue the governments of the world face, so why should it be up to them to create solutions for it? Climate change affects everyone, so everyone must do something to help. In this speech, I'm going to be telling you what you can all do to help. They're only little changes to your everyday lifestyle, but they will make a huge difference in the future.

I want you to think of your favourite animal. I don't want a dog or a cat or any pets. I want a wild animal. Now imagine you are this animal and you are just enjoying a normal day in your home. But suddenly out of nowhere, huge, brightly colored machines come through, destroying everything in their paths, killing your family. Imagine how you would feel. Bad? Angry? Afraid? Well, let me tell you this. This is exactly what humans are doing to animals all over the world!Between 1990 and 2016, 1.3 million km2 of land was destroyed due to deforestation. That amount I of land is bigger than south Africa. In the past 50 years, 17% of the amazon was cut down for agriculture, building or supplies. A rule was introduced a few years ago. It stated that for every tree cut down, 10 more must be planted to take its place. If people actually did that, that 17% of the amazon would be lower than that.

There are three ways that deforestation can lead to climate change. The first is probably the most common factor. Trees photosynthesize to give us oxygen. Without trees, oxygen cannot be produced for the 7.8 billion people on earth and many more animals. The second is known amongst most people, but not all. When trees photosynthesize, they take in carbon dioxide (CO2) and change it into oxygen, but that carbon must go somewhere. It is stored inside the tree. When the tree is cut down, the carbon stored inside it is released into the atmosphere. The third factor isn't as common as the other two, but is still a large problem. When plants die, they begin to produce methane, a greenhouse gas. When the machines are cutting down trees, they're killing plants, leading to methane being produced.

I want you to think of that animal again, but this time, it isn't deforestation driving the animal out of its home. Its fire.In 2019 and 2020, 3 billion animals were killed in wildfires. In 2017, 40,574,166,384.96 m2 of land was burnt worldwide.In 2019, there were 50,477 wildfires worldwide. I want you to imagine that one fire burns one house. If course this isn't accurate. One fire could burn 10 houses or no houses at all. Already, in one year, that 50,477 houses burnt. That's 50,477 families left homeless, in one year.However, not all fires are caused by climate change. Some could be caused by unsupervised fires, dropped cigarettes or dodgy fireworks, but each fire, no matter its cause, can prove fatal.After every fire, carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. This leads to global temperatures increasing, thus leading to more wildfires and more carbon dioxide.

Hundreds of species of animals go extinct every day. Animals such as Koalas, lemurs, dolphins and chimpanzees are expected to go exitinct soon. These are only a mere handful endangered species. 25,000 species of animals are on the verge of extinction. This number needs to be decreased.Everyone can do their part in reducing the damage of climate change.

We have reached a point now, where if nothing is done about climate change, the world will suffer. Everyone must do their part, even if its as simple as walking to places. Your workplace can help, and so can school.

How you can help: Like I said before, if it isn't far, ditch the car. Not only is walking a great way if helping the environment, but it allows you to exercise and take in the sights. Use reusable bottles. If every time you go out, you buy a bottle for £1, after a week, that £7 spent on unnecessary plastic. For that price, you can buy a reusable bottle to last you a year. You can help by doing something as simple as recycling. If you're going to buy shampoo and conditioner, buy recyclable containers. The company Nivea have created biodegradable products, and they're cheap too! Turn lights off after you've come out a room, or use LED lights or sensors. Any of these solutions do wonders for not only the environment, but for your energy bills too. Use battery bins. They can be found at any supermarkets and using them is great for the environment.

How work and school can help: Place recycling bins around the school or workplace. Buy eco friendly cleaning supplies. These can be more expensive, but shouldn't them extra prices be worth saving the planet? Buy acid free glue sticks and reusable pencils. Again, they're more expensive, but they're helping the environment. Reduce the amount of food waste your school produces. If your school or workplace has spare tins of food at the end of a week, encourage them to donate it to food banks instead of bin it. Not only are you helping the environment, but you're also helping homeless people. Fundraise for organizations such as Green Peace. Organizations like these work towards reducing the impacts of climate change, and by fundraising for these, you're doing your part in helping out. Add plants to classrooms and offices. Not only does it create fresh air, but it also creates great decorations to make the rooms look nicer.

So you see, everyone can do their part, because climate change affects everyone. Climate change isn't only going to affect our future, but put children's futures too. In 100 years time, when the amazon is gone and half the world is underwater, we are going to wish we did something. So why wait? Why leave climate change up to governments? Now is the time to do something. Now is the time to shape the future.