Our Earth is known for housing life, something no other known planet in our solar system can do as effectively. Earth houses amazing creatures and even greater possibilities. It was not until the 1960s that people started having concerns about how we treat our environment. 51 years ago, we began celebrating Earth Day to send a clear message about climate change action to world leaders. This notable day for the planet brings public awareness about the environment and inspires people to save and protect it. 1960 was the start of an unexpected environmental revolution.
First, we’ll hear from Shae K about the Ocean; Hudson H will then share about the Earth.
The Ocean
by Shaelyn K
The ocean takes up most of our miraculous planet. All bodies of water together fill around 71 percent of Earth’s surface. In the dark depths of the ocean lie some pretty amazing creatures. Unfortunately, the amount of trash polluting our ocean continues to increase, destroying our chances of seeing these magical, unknown animals. Over one million different kinds of species live in the deep depths of the sea. Coral reefs are one of the main habitats for a lot of sea life. Some animals that choose to make their homes in coral reefs are sea turtles, sea horses, fish, and lobsters. Coral reefs are also used as hunting grounds for sharks and eels.
The sun increasing in temperature is killing the coral reef. Coral reefs must maintain a certain temperature. If it is either higher or lower, the reef cannot survive. If the reef is destroyed, numerous sea creatures are left without homes and must migrate to safer climates. Many animals who eat the coral die from starvation if it is unable to grow.
Due to global warming, the ice caps in the Arctic are melting. This leaves dangerous and damaged terrain for creatures like polar bears, seals, and penguins. Additionally, the number of ice landslides is increasing due to the ice liquefying. Since 1979, more than 75 percent of the ice in the Arctic has melted.
The image of the coral below is a “before and after” of a blush of coral. The process shown is called bleaching. When a coral is bleached it's not dead but is very vulnerable to harm.
Another important ecosystem is the kelp forests that serve as a habitat for seals, sea otters, and urchins. The work kelp does is vital for the entire ocean; it grows and sucks up 20 times the carbon that a regular tree can hold, and then buries it in the ground, turning it into nutrients.
Unlike national parks on land, very few preserved sanctuaries remain underwater. Today, less than 4% of oceans remain unaffected by humans. Even though our oceans are vast and wide, they can be negatively impacted very easily in small ways. Each year we dump over 210 million gallons of oil into our oceans, killing thousands of animals. One of the biggest threats to our ocean is pollution.
People will often try to catch the largest fish, as you can sell them for the most money. Fish sustain many families around the world, providing both food or money; they are an important part of our ecosystem here on land. Right now, the most important kinds of fish for the coral reefs are being hunted to extinction. Not for us to eat, but to be turned into fertilizer and chicken food.
You may have heard the term “Trash Island” which is a floating clump of garbage in the middle of the Pacific. It is around the size of Texas which is 801 miles north to south and 773 miles east to west. The ocean's strong current carries the trash to various places, and it rests there for some time.
I met with Matt Littlejohn from an Organization called Oceana. Oceana works to protect our oceans and animals from harm. They also pass laws to help our oceans to survive, and the animals to reproduce. They are the number one organization that works exclusively to protect and restore the oceans on a global scale.
What exactly does Oceana do?
“Oceana works to protect our oceans on a worldwide basis,” Matt said. “We want to protect our ocean habitat and animals that live in it. Some of our achievements are: we have stopped the expansion of offshore oil drilling in the United States and finalized protections for whales and sea turtles from death in California-based fisheries. Just to name a few.”
What do you think the biggest threat to the oceans is?
“There are 3 big threats to oceans today,” says Matt “The biggest threat to the ocean today is overfishing. This is catching a lot of the same breed at once, making it hard to reproduce.” “Climate change makes the water warmer and creates less oxygen in the ocean, making it hard for the fish to breathe. And lastly, the oceans are getting more acidic which can dissolve the shells of many animals.” This term is called decalcification.
What do you think the most endangered marine animal is?
“The most endangered marine animal is the vaquita, a smaller porpoise. Today there are only 30 left, and they live around Baja California, Mexico. But there is also this creature called a right whale. Only around 30 are left today, and they are our main priority to save.”
What is the biggest thing that garbage has affected?
“Many animals eat plankton or other small bits of plastic lying on the ocean floor. When garbage is put in the ocean, it doesn't break down and just turns into smaller pieces. When the animals eat the plastic, they receive no nutritional value, so they keep eating these tiny pieces and eventually die from lack of nutrients,” Matt said sadly, “Toxins inside the plastic can hurt the animals’ systems and kill them. 90 percent of the plastic in the ocean is actually below the surface.”
What can we do to help?
“There are so many ways you can help! You can write to people who change laws.” He referenced this article - “10 Things You Can Do to Save the Oceans.” You can even do small things like picking up trash on your local beach, donating to foundations like Oceana, or even just spreading knowledge and educating your peers on life underwater.
Sources:
The Earth
by Hudson H
I know in the few years of my time on Earth, it’s been overwhelming to witness the unprecedented impacts of climate change such as huge wildfires, severe storms, broken temperature records, and intense droughts. It is clear these challenges and global events are sparking deeper thoughts and conversations about how we live our lives and treat the earth. Our planet isn’t going to last long unless we make some significant shifts to our daily behaviors and address larger systems.
The theme for Earth Day 2021 is “Restore Our Earth.” It’s very fitting. This is a crucial decade that provides an important opportunity to reflect, appreciate, and demonstrate action to protect this planet we call home. It’s the most pressing conversation among people of all ages, and there are still questions today. Optimistically, climate change will be the main focus in the VERY near future. A list of demands for our world leaders was created by youth activists from all over the world. On Earth Day, they met with President Biden, who hosted a virtual meeting aimed at reasserting American leadership on climate. This is only the second time in a generation that an American president has returned to a global climate pact by pledging aggressive measures to combat climate change.
Approximately two years ago, my awareness about climate change became so much more significant. We all heard the name “Greta.” Greta Thunberg, inspired by Rosa Parks, explained how Rosa greatly influenced her, “One person can make such a difference,” she said. At 15 years old, Greta started protesting and vowed to continue voicing concerns for our future. Greta had won a climate essay competition three months before. She later inspired 7 million people to join a global climate strike on September 20, 2019, in what was the largest climate demonstration in human history. This made an impact on me. I began implementing changes at home immediately. Our ongoing conversation was that if there’s one thing to understand, it’s that the effects of climate change will worsen drastically in my lifetime. That was truly concerning.
Still, how did we get here? If we look around our home, at our fridge, television, and lights, we notice that they are all powered by electricity. We lived without it for most of human history. Since the late 1800s, electricity has become an essential part of our modern-day life. Americans now use 13 times as much as they did in the 1950s. Burning fossil fuels like natural gas, coal, and oil is how we have produced electricity for decades. Used for heat and nearly everything else humans do, these substances also provide most of the energy.
Do you wonder how bad it could get if we continue in the wrong direction? The planet Earth is getting hotter. Signs of climate change are higher temperature, more droughts, wilder weather, changing rain and snow patterns, less snowpack, melting glaciers, shrinking sea ice, and thawing permafrost.
Due to rising temperatures, by 2050 the effects of climate change can be expected to shave global wealth by $23 trillion. Although there could be some cold days, most places on earth will be hotter. Heat waves will cancel any outdoor activities. High temperatures in vulnerable populations could be fatal. More importantly, weather changes will dry up water supplies, making it harder for us to grow food. Wildfires will be even more dangerous because of extreme heat and drought. They’ll remain more frequent if climate change remains unabated. Glaciers and ice sheets continue to melt. Habitat loss will cause many animals and plants to face extinction. By the end of the century, millions of people worldwide could be displaced due to rising seas flooding in many coastal communities. As seawaters absorb carbon dioxide from the air, our oceans are doomed to become more acidic. The water getting hotter affects marine life. The consequences if the world fails to slow the use of fossil fuels soon will be dire.
It is a dizzying, daunting series of facts about our climate. It’s probably why Greta’s panic button was pushed. This is an urgent matter.
However, there is hope! The future is not settled, even though the science is. It doesn’t have to be this way. If society and nature can adapt more easily, in the hopeful future, the effects of climate change would be less extreme. By planting more trees, we can protect forests, which suck carbon back out of the air as they grow. The new climate would suit our farms while using sustainable practices. Poorer countries would receive help coping. We could move coastal communities farther inland where they’d be safer from flooding. Poor harvests and wildfires would still occur but far less frequently.
Here’s the good news: we have a solid understanding of climate science and what it will take to limit global warming. Changes are already happening in many places. We’re just not making many of them fast enough. That’s because the biggest challenge we face is people, not science. If we really want the dream future to be a reality, world leaders, business people and the rest of us have to help get serious about addressing climate change. It’s not too late to act. The choice is ours to decide.
“This is a moral imperative and economic imperative. A moment of peril, but also a moment of extraordinary possibilities,” President Biden recently said, “When people talk about climate, I think jobs, within our climate response lies an extraordinary engine of job creation and economic opportunity ready to be fired up.”
President Biden’s ambitions cut to the heart. He moved to put four years of official climate denial behind the United States, declaring that America would cut its global warming emissions at least in half by the end of the decade. He addressed 40 world leaders at the start of a two-day summit as he sought to galvanize other countries to take more aggressive steps.
The younger you are, the greater the stakes; everyone is put at risk by the existential issue of climate. But remember: the planet is going to change a lot more in your lifetime. Our earth needs to be restored. We start with action. The world around you gets affected by an action you make. Start small - grow veggies on your window sill, porch, or backyard. Thinking about how we can propagate our produce and food sources is a great step forward. Meanwhile the satisfaction of watching something grow can continue to motivate us. Track your fashion and ecological footprint. Declutter and look for ways to reduce your waste. Use minimal electricity for a whole day, an action that adds awareness to your environmental footprint. Something as simple as traveling on bikes or using public transit is a step in a positive direction. Don’t underestimate your power.
You can start big, and stay big, as Greta did. “I want you to panic,” she says, “I want you to feel the fear I feel every day. And then I want you to act.” She got the needle moving. She’s not the only one. NASA scientists are using the International Space Station to study the earth’s climate. The ISS watches from above studying the earth’s climate to keep our planet safe. This provides unique insights from the stars. Furthermore, NASA is working toward becoming more sustainable. It is responsible for collecting much of the data people use to explain humanity’s impact on Earth.
It's a simple truth, unless transformative action takes place, for every fraction of a degree that temperatures increase, these problems will worsen. This is science; not fearmongering. As a consumer, a voter, and a member of a community that can unite for change, or, just as an individual, you can yield real power and influence. Earth needs better treatment, and it takes action at all levels to take care of it. We could avoid the worst effects. Let the better scenarios unfold. Join the movement to change the world, and keep our home, our house, our earth protected.
If you’d like to know where to start on your planet-saving journey, take some time to check out this website and this website for more information on climate change.
If you’re inspired to pick up a book about climate change, here are 5 good options referred by
The New York Times:
“Under a White Sky,”
Elizabeth Kolbert has long been an essential voice in environmental reporting, here she explores an existential question: Humans got the planet into this mess, but can we do enough to get us out?
“Second Nature,”
by Nathaniel Rich, takes a look at how biotech has created an increasingly dystopian world (think glowing rabbits) and the people trying to change it.
“How to Prepare for Climate Change,”
is for those who want concrete advice. Written by Davis Pogue, it is a worst-case survival guide, offering tips for everything from investing to managing anxiety about an ecological disaster.
“Parable of the Sower,”
Octavia Butler’s novel, a canonical 1993 story about a teenager in ecologically ravaged California, proves climate change isn’t just the domain of nonfiction.
“The Overstory,”
if you’d like to try Richard Powers’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, which puts trees front and center: Linked stories reach back to 1800s New York through contemporary times, and humans are just the underbrush.
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