Science Series: Article #5: The Issue with Ice

by Lily, Grade 8

Everybody knows about climate change; activists, young and old, are taking stands against those who believe otherwise. But soon their opinions may not matter. What if we don’t have a choice of whether or not we make changes to our international ways of living? The disturbing truth of the climate crisis may impel the world to make some large-scale changes.

Imagine you are older and have a job, maybe a family and kids. It is the year 2050, 30 years from now. It’s estimated that the ocean will have risen 19 inches. It may not seem like much, but don’t forget about the next generations of humans to come. In approximately 5,000 years (if fossil fuels have not been replaced with a more climate-friendly option), Antarctica and Greenland, along with the rest of Earth’s glaciers, will have melted, leaving Earth as essentially some smaller continents and a bunch of archipelagos replacing the once existing large masses of land.

What will this do to Earth’s population? Even though this kind of destruction may seem pretty far out, we can not forget that the world will exist long, long after our generation of humans are dead. The future population depends on us to fix the broken exterior of our goldilocks planet. If the continents are downsized due to flooding, then the population will have no choice but to decrease. Earth is simply not big enough to hold the same capacity of humans there are now in 5000 years. Fewer people, fewer jobs, less freedom, less progress we’ll be able to make.

What can we do? Greta Thunberg definitely sounds like she has a plan. A now big name, Greta is only 17 years of age and is 2019’s Time’s Person of the Year. She is a Swedish climate activist and has made herself known for demanding action on these issues from the rich and powerful. In fact, she shames them for their immaturity and lack of bravery to speak of the real issues in which we must deal with. She says in her 2018 speech at the UN Climate Change COP24 Conference, “You only speak of green eternal economic growth because you are too scared of being unpopular. You only talk about moving forward with the same bad ideas that got us into this mess, even when the only sensible thing to do is pull the emergency brake.” She has made clear that this should be our call to action. To reverse the effects of damaging gasses and chemicals in our atmosphere that’s warming our ice and rising our oceans, big government-owned corporations and companies must stop their use of fossil fuels in their factories, because they only want more money. The big issue is the Earth, but sadly it is also the loss of sensible morality that makes one mindful enough to let their want to save the planet greater than their greed. The one thing we have to focus on overcoming are the big and rich peoples’ constant want for more money, because stopping fossil fuel usage will cost some sort of expected expense.

What is the reality of this? The reality will be quite close to home. We live on a natural, not man-made, planet. The things we have built on top of the land (made for the presence of the homo-sapien race) will be damaged greatly if the air we breath does not come before the products and money the economy makes. In the lifetime of a LMMS student, they will feel, experience, and see the effects of these human-caused problems.

What can a young student do? Protest, become an activist, write letters to government, be aware of the issues (do research, write papers, make slideshows, make your knowledge and opinions known) entreat your friends/family to join you. The more young activists the better, because they are the ones who still have the time to make the decision to get a job that focuses on possible solutions to these issues.

Sources:

“How Will Earth Change If All the Ice Melts?” YouTube, YouTube, 28 July 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIxRVfCpA64.

“The Hidden Costs of Fossil Fuels.” Union of Concerned Scientists, www.ucsusa.org/resources/hidden-costs-fossil-fuels.

“YouTube.” YouTube, YouTube, www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFkQSGyeCWg.

“Arctic and Antarctic Sea Ice: How Are They Different? – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet.” NASA, NASA, 18 Apr. 2019, climate.nasa.gov/blog/2861/arctic-and-antarctic-sea-ice-how-are-they-different/.