Hi. I want to apologise for not posting in the last couple of days.I had the idea of catching up on last weeks challenge concerning climate change. I decided I would post a speech I wrote for English class concerning climate change. I feel like it really captures the whole topic. Please do not use this or take it. It is written by me: Stella Eleftheriotis
You have probably fantasised about your future several times. Maybe you have thought about your first day of college, your career, the type of family you would like to have, and much more. I am assuming that harsh and dangerous weather patterns such as flooding and extreme heat waves were never a part of your master plan. Today I will be talking to you about climate change. You may be thinking: Why should I care? Well, you should because climate change will affect our whole planet and all its creatures including every single one of us.
Firstly, what is climate change? Technically it is a change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns when that change lasts for an extended period of time, but what is causing climate change in this case? This is when I introduce the greenhouse effect, sunlight is reflected off of the Earth or is absorbed by it, but what happens when there is a barrier not allowing that sunlight and heat to escape back to space? The answer is climate change. And the barriers are the greenhouse gases such as water vapor, methane and the most popular carbon dioxide. These greenhouse gases are produced by the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas for the purpose of creating electricity. Of course, there are other ways of producing electricity, but humans would rather put the whole planet on the line to make some money. Sadly, this all boils down to the selfishness, greed and lack of empathy humans possess.
The one thing that is worse than the reason why climate change is occurring are its consequences. Climate change is responsible for harsh conditions such as flooding, harmful weather patterns, the endangerment and extinction of animal species and far more. As Ice caps continuously melt at a rate of 13.3% per decade, sea levels rise, causing flooding, the destruction of ecosystems and loss of habitat for many creatures. Our planet will be entirely consumed by these waters in less than 20 years if we continue at this same rate. There are also many harmful consequences when exploiting the main cause of climate change. The exploitation and use of fossil fuels not only pollutes the air, but is also the main causes of water, soil and sound pollution. Our planet is in serious danger and if we do not solve this problem, our lives will be at stake as well.
We have been aware of the issue of climate change and our being responsible for it for decades, and not enough is being done concerning the support of change and difference. For these reasons we need to act now. Many of us hold scientists accountable for solving these issues, and may believe that one little non-ecofriendly action won’t hurt that much, but if we all think this way, an accumulation of actions occur. Many small actions build up to one big one. This concept is not the issue, but it is how it is being used that is the issue. What if we used this in a positive manner? If everyone were to start performing small eco-friendly actions in there day to day lives, once again an accumulation would occur and this would result in one large positive difference. But what are these positive actions? There is a range of things one can do to reduce the effects of climate change and lower their carbon footprint. Of course, the ultimate solution would be to switch to renewable energy sources such as solar and wind powered energies, but that cannot be directly changed from home. By supporting the idea of a carbon tax (which is a fine for emitters of greenhouse gases), and contacting authorities such as the government you can make a huge difference. You can become a vegetarian or vegan, or take more eco-friendly transportation methods such as biking. Even by generally consuming less and only buying what you need you can make a bigger difference than you think.
In the end, we have to look at the theme of environment VS economy. Which is more important? We only have one home that we know of, the beautiful planet Earth. Is our whole planet and existence really worth the money? Will money give us the oxygen we breathe, the crops we grow and all the elements essential to our survival as a species and as living creatures among many more? Money has no value compared to these necessities. It is literally dead trees, or is also known as paper. This is why we must act now, before we lose everything that is of true value for ourselves and generations to come.
By Stella Eleftheriotis
I hope you liked this. Thank you for caring and keep making the world a better place.
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