The weather is cooling down; trees are just changing color; days are beginning to shorten. Must it be September, right? False. The beginning of November is here, and the essence of fall has finally arrived. The late start of the season is not a new trend. Warmer seasons have been extending for decades now.
Along with more extreme weather and frequent produce shortages, extended warm weather is causing worry amongst people. These changes are all caused by global warming. Excess greenhouse gases cause global warming in the atmosphere. Emissions, deforestation, and manufacturing practices are responsible for most of the global warming. Scientists have proven that almost all of the global warming is a by-product of human activity. With current trends, all sea life and winter seasons are expected to disappear by 2100. With this information, people should start taking immediate action to reverse this. While some are active in helping the environment, others do not believe global warming is real.
While almost all students acknowledge global warming’s impact, students have mixed emotions about it. Many students are scared about a future with global warming for many reasons. Most of which include melting of polar caps, extinction of species, and sweltering temperatures. Kate Carter (10) explains, “it [global warming] is very impactful on the environment, and it may make our future different than it is now.” Additionally, Adam Horne (11) is “scared for the future, the melting ice caps, rising sea levels, an increase in carbon dioxide, I think it’s gonna be awful for the environment.” Even though most students share their angst about global warming, some students are apathetic and even hopeless about the planet’s condition. An anonymous source says, “I don’t see what power we can have over it unless we get our act together—which is not happening.”
While society knows about global warming, a lot of people treat it like a mild inconvenience. Yet global warming can become an apocalyptic situation within the century. In the meantime, global warming has been impacting the livelihood of students. Dini M (12) experienced this, saying, “Usually when I go to India, if I go to places like Delhi it’s really hot and it’s like you can see a difference in the air from all the pollution, it’s crazy.” Even in a less populated country like the United States, global warming is still impactful. Layla Latson (12) agrees, explaining, “I haven’t seen snow in some years; the last time I saw snow, it was for about thirty seconds, and I was pretty mad about that.” Additionally, many notice the steady increase of temperatures and constant hot weather, regardless of the season.
People know that global warming is an issue that can be controlled. But what are the people in power doing? Wheeler’s students agree that the government is not doing enough. Rue Tshamala (12) proposes “more efficient use of fossil fuels, hopefully using less.” Gabriella Latson also suggests that the government should “be more aggressive with big corporations and factories and stuff with their emissions. They should also be more aggressive in finding scientific solutions to replace things like plastic and use cleaner energy.” While government involvement would help the environment, some of the responsibility must fall on individuals. Nick Hicks (11) agrees, “I think we need to be more conscious as individuals. If we can limit our contributions, then we’re doing the best we can to limit global warming.”
While global warming is getting worse, more people are gaining and spreading knowledge about the subject. More laws and regulations are being put in place to manage how big factories are polluting the environment. In addition to government regulations, individuals should take the initiative to be more friendly to Earth. More people can carpool with others, recycle materials and stop supporting companies that do not use eco-friendly practices. In conclusion, global warming is scary and dangerous, but many of Wheeler’s students are ready to protect the planet.