Climate Change is Affecting Children Life, How Can we Help?

Picture 1-Chimneys emitting smoke and other vapors into the atmosphere. | PHOTOGRAPH BY JAMES P. BLAIR

The small conversation about rising temperature unfolds into a term commonly used by scientists, climate change. As the name suggests, it is no longer just about our planet heating up, the weather is also changing due to the several types of gases that trap sunlight in the atmosphere, also known as greenhouse gas.

Picture 2-An ash plume from an Indonesian island. |PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN STANMEYER, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

Climate change is becoming an issue for the world. The United Nations added Climate Change to one of its Sustainable Development Goals also known as SDGs. Climate change is caused by carbon emission in the atmosphere (usually volcano eruption, burning coal, etc.), trapping sunlight in the earth, leading to raising sea, global warming, and unstable weather.

Climate change is still a pressing issue even when there is clean energy such as wind power and solar power. Climate change is not just about unstable weather, it also affects animal (including human).

According to United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (or UNICEF), “Every year, over half a million children under the age of 5 die from causes related to air pollution.” (UNIFEC). On top of that, arctic life is also endangered due to climate change, fossil fuels are still mankind’s main energy source. Luckily, a few countries are trying to step up by lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Endangered Polar Life

Picture 3-Polar bear jumps from one ice float to another. | PHOTOGRAPH BY RALPH LEE HOPKINS, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

“A new US government report has found that if greenhouse gas emissions continue at their current rate, polar bear populations will start to rapidly decline as early as 2025.” (Christian Science Monitor). The polar bears are not the only ones with decreasing population, most of the animals nesting in the poles are also endangered.

The icy terrain is a first-rate preying ground for frosty hunters, sadly, the warming seas are forcing these white coated huntsmen to retreat into the dusty earth to find food. Some researchers explain that food on land is hard to obtain and may not fill a bear’s belly.

Once the icecaps started melting in both poles, some countries started a polar rush, seeking for untouched resources. Icebreakers generates more greenhouse gas the needed, causing more melting icecaps and perhaps leading to the extinction of polar bears and other arctic species.

Irreplaceable Fossil Fuel

Picture 4-Between tow oil pumps, a gas flare burns.
|PHOTOGRAPH BY KEN CEDENO, CORBIS

Along with solar power, there are also many other types of clean energy that have not replaced fossil fuel. When thinking about burning fossil fuel, the first things that comes to mind are greenhouse gases, a harmful smell, and burning smoke that poisons the earth. Luckily, some brainy homo sapiens have invented things like waterwheels, windmills, and solar panels to generate power. However, humans are still unable to detach from fossil fuel, below are three main reasons why humans are unsuccessful in braking away from nonrenewable energy.

First, efficiency, “Earth’s fossil fuel reserves were formed over millions of years as the organic material of ancient plants and microorganisms (not dinosaurs) were compressed and heated into dense deposits of carbon—basically reservoirs of condensed energy.” (Cheek). Therefore, fossil fuel has an extremely dense quality which enables it to produce great amounts of energy with just a little fuel. This unique quality later led to the industrial revolution around the world.

Picture 5-Wind turbines turning wind into power.
| PHOTOGRAPH BY MELINDA MENDEZ, MY SHOT

Secondly, convenience, humans can access fossil fuel anytime, anywhere. On the other hand, clean energy such as solar power and wind power is dependent on weather and has a low accessibility. Fossil fuel does not rely on neither weather, time nor location.

Lastly, fossil fuel is well-established. It has been humankind’s main energy source ever since the industrial revolution. It takes time switching from one type of energy to another, just like how it would take time to adapt when switching from an Apple smartphone to a Samsung smartphone.

How Are Countries Helping? How Can We Help?

On top of the three main reasons for why humans can not abandon fossil fuel, there is another reason behind why it takes so long to adapt.

Picture 6-Smoke Stacks, carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere.
| PHOTOGRAPH BY JAMES P. BLAIR

“The United States and China are the world’s two largest economies, two largest consumers of energy, and two largest emitters of greenhouse gases. Together we account for about 40 percent of the world’s emissions.” (Kerry). The world requires both China and the U.S. to lead and decrease their greenhouse gas emissions to stabilize global warming. In year 2014, Chinese and Americans came together to find common ground on this pressing matter, climate change. Both countries claimed to take part in push towards “de-carbonization of the global economy.” (Kerry). Taking the first steps towards a better world.

How Can We Help Stop Climate Change?

Picture 7-Deforestation in the Amazon rain forest.
| PHOTOGRAPH BY JOEL SARTORE

Once again, burning fossil fuel leads to global warming, it affects the lives of different species in a negative way. Polar bears and arctic foxes might go extinct in there near future, to save these cute fluffy creatures, earth requires humans to act. Humans must stop deforestation, create more clean energy, and limit fossil fuel usage. There is no big red button to stop climate change in an instant, however, human as the most developed species on earth can do something about it, leading countries could invent a power generator using carbon dioxide, using what is poison to earth as energy, or limit the amount of trees cut they cut down each year, or perhaps raise oil tax. There are tons of way to stabilize global warming and climate change. Humans just need to take action.

Works Cited

Cheek, Linden. “3 Reasons We Are Still Using Fossil Fuels.” University of Arkansas, 10 Apr. 2020, wordpressua.uark.edu/sustain/3-reasons-we-are-still-using-fossil-fuels/. Accessed 1 June 2022.

“Do you know all 17 SDGs?” United Nations, sdgs.un.org/goals.

Fox, Douglas. “Antarctica and the Arctic: A Polar Primer for the New Great Game.” Christian Science Monitor, 12 Jan. 2014. SIRS Issues Researcher, explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2266019879?accountid=4047.

“GOAL 13: CLIMATE ACTION.” UNICEF Data, data.unicef.org/sdgs/goal-13-climate-action/. Accessed 1 June 2022.

Kauffman, Gretel. “What’s the Future of Polar Bears? Studies Say They May Soon Be Extinct.” Christian Science Monitor, 5 July 2015. SIRS Issues Researcher, explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2266024713?accountid=4047.

Kerry, John. “China, America and Our Warming Planet.” SIRS Issues Researcher, 11 Nov. 2014, explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2260256362?accountid=4047.

Nunez, Christina. “Global warming solutions, explained.” National Geographic, 25 Jan. 2019, www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/global-warming-solutions. Accessed 12 May 2022.

“This chart shows just how much energy the US is wasting.” The World Economic Forum, 25 May 2018, www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/05/visualizing-u-s-energy-consumption-in-one-chart#:~:text=Around%2068%25%20of%20all%20energy,being%20wasted%20through%20various%20inefficiencies. Accessed 16 May 2022.

“A warm blanket around the Earth.” Newsela, 2 Feb. 2015, newsela.com/read/benchmark-4-climate-change/id/31621/. Accessed 13 May 2022.