Climate change isn’t something to ignore

We don’t have time to waste to reverse climate change. You may not think a 1-degree or 2-degree temperature increase is much, but our planet cannot withstand these changes. Small temperature changes can lead to big effects causing many species to die off. If this continues, 6% of species will die by 2050; this will create a ripple effect.

Our oceans are absorbing most of this heat, which means that coral reefs are dying along with the homes of many sea creatures.

Cow digestion creates methane gas which traps twenty times more heat than CO2 in our atmosphere. However, some people eat beef in their daily lives, so more cows are bred, creating more methane. We also cut down trees that absorb fifty pounds of CO2 per year (per tree).

In many places, rather than cutting down trees, we burn forests which releases CO2 into the air.

Fossil fuels are being relied on too much lately, creating more CO2 in our atmosphere. When we burn fossil fuels, we produce CO2 which creates extreme weather.

From “When The World

Gets 1-degree Celsius Hotter,” we learn the jet stream circles the atmosphere in a fast and straight current. When the temperatures to the north and south of the stream are similar, the stream becomes wavy. This pulls cold air from the polar vortex south creating violent storms.

In conclusion, climate change isn’t something to ignore, we need to fix this now! It will not be easy though, some people do not believe climate change exists because it is not as visible in their region. We need to do something about this and fast because we only have seven years left to fix what we have done. We can plant more trees, eat less cow meat and go to climate change meetings.

— Alanya Jordan, fifth grade, Boulder