“The era of global warming has ended, the era of global boiling has arrived,” United Nations Secretary General, António Guterres, said this past month during a United Nations conference in New York. This alarming statement coincides with the recent reveal from the World Meteorological Organization and the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service that July 2023 was set to be the hottest month on record. In short, climate change is wreaking havoc on our Earth as we speak.
The disastrous effects of global “boiling” include the wildfires in Canada along with fires in Greece and Italy. According to a CNN statistic, places like Death Valley in California saw the hottest night on record, coming in at 120°F, and San Anglo in Texas broke its hottest day record at 114°F. The inescapable heat is even reaching the coldest parts of the world with Antarctica facing an all-time low in glaciers and ice, directly affecting both ocean and air circulation across the globe.
As young people, we will bear the brunt of
the catastrophic effects of climate change. So, we should be especially invested in mitigating it.
Despite the seemingly irreversible damage already done to the environment, we can still prevent this climate disaster. Delaying the effects of climate change remains a possible feat, and it can all start here at the school. Living an eco-friendly lifestyle is not as difficult as it may seem, and with a few small changes, students can have a big impact on our planet.
There are many things students can do to decrease their carbon footprint and improve the planet: turning off lights after leaving a room, taking shorter, colder showers, replacing incandescent with fluorescent bulbs, and paying extra attention to recycling.
Even watching what you purchase at Dunkin’ or the grocery store can have a big impact. You don’t need to buy a plastic cup, lid, and straw with every morning coffee run. Instead, try purchasing reusable materials and asking the barista to fill your container in place of plastic. There are also other reusable items such as
Drawing by Liam Deighton
grocery bags and metal water bottles that come in at a significantly lower price and higher health benefits than their plastic counterparts.
Some changes are hard, and require the convincing of parents and friends, as well as money, to live a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle. As young people, we don’t have the financial means to buy an electric Tesla or the power to craft climate policy in Congress, but we can take charge of this crisis. After all, it disproportionately affects us.
