Letter To The Editor

I would like to bring to your attention a special interest I have: climate change.

Climate change is happening faster than we previously thought, with global sea levels rising by 20 centimeters over the past couple years, heat waves and heavy rains affecting 90% of the world’s regions. A total of 196 nations predicted that goals set in the Paris Agreement, to restrict the rise in temperature to 35.6 degrees Fahrenheit, could soon be out of reach.

Heat waves, wildfires, drought, floods, tornados and hurricanes are becoming more common. Our standard seasons are changing with much unpredictability caused by climate change. The industrial revolution of the 1800s was driven by fossil fuels, leading to extreme weather conditions. To stop the world from heating further, we must reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

To do this, we must find the root cause. Humans are the biggest contributors because of the lifestyle they choose to keep. Climate change is caused by increasing consumption of fossil fuels, deforestation, agriculture and rising standards of living. It can lead to chaos and destruction of civilizations, so we must fight it together by focusing on long-term, sustainable growth.

What can we do? Here are some suggestions:

1. Make sure that you don’t litter. Use aluminum bottles instead of plastic bottles that don’t always get recycled property. Dispose of items properly; don’t just toss them out the window or toss while out walking. This is just a small part of the root causes.
2. Use clean or renewable energy, instead of depending so much on fossil fuels. Walk or ride a bike instead of using a car to go just a few blocks to a friend’s house.
3. Be smart with electronics. Don’t just drop electronics in the trash when broken. Always recycle them. Most contain batteries and putting them in the trash is contaminating our soil when they end up in a landfill.

I really care about climate change, and we must protect what we have or perish with the killing of our earth. I am trying to help get people to realize that we are all contributing to killing our planet.

Abigail Dugenske
Severna Park Middle School student