Climate change is an ongoing threat to our planet and we need to help understand it better so we can work on reducing its impact. The world is losing 1.2 trillion tons of ice per year, there’s more carbon dioxide in our atmosphere than at any other time in history, extreme heat events have become more and more common, countries are flooding, and hurricanes are becoming more severe. 

Something you may not know that is an important and relevant example of climate change and global warming is the floods in Pakistan. Since early June 2022, these floods have taken the lives of almost 2000 people and ruined their homes. The cause of these floods is heavier rains and melting glaciers that followed an extreme heat wave. U.N Secretary-General Antonio Guterres makes a compelling point, “Today it is Pakistan, tomorrow it could be your country.” Pakistan is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change and its people are suffering every day from these unimaginable conditions. Consider donating to a fundraiser to support families affected by the floods with these links:

• UNICEF
• Rescue.org
• WFPUSA

Another recent example of climate change affecting the planet is Hurricane Ian. Hurricane Ian began in central American countries and has made landfall in Florida and North Carolina as well. It has caused drastic damage to people’s homes and towns. According to time.com, “Warmer waters linked to climate change also increase the storm’s wind speed, and cause hurricanes to undergo so-called ‘rapid intensification’ more often.” Ian is predicted to bring a life-threatening storm surge and cause major flooding and power outages. If you want to help the people who have been touched by the storm donate to them using these links:

• Red Cross 
• helpsalvationarmyorg 
• Project Hope 

What can we do on an individual basis to help reduce the effects of global warming? A great resource for this discussion is our very own Orca science teacher and leader of the Eco-Squad Ms. Ferreri. When asked about how CMS contributes to zero waste, she says “The EcoSquad has been using compost, recycling, and garbage bins in the lunch rooms to eliminate waste. The compost is usually turned into the soil which is great because it doesn’t go to landfills which produce methane, a harmful greenhouse gas.” She also mentioned some other things our school does to be sustainable such as the shoes that were collected from students and donated to underprivileged countries. Keep an eye out for EcoSquad’s many opportunities to fundraise and be sustainable. Lastly, I asked Ms. Ferrari if she thinks that human actions/climate change is linked to the severity of weather events such as hurricanes. “I think humans indirectly affect weather events and climate change”, she described. She went on to explain how all our actions built up contribute to the planet’s condition. Climate change has increased drought, heat, loss of species, poverty, and insect outbreaks. As a result, these changes have made weather events like wildfires and hurricanes more numerous and disastrous. To help decrease climate change and save our planet, try to live more sustainably by using less energy in your house (lowering heating and cooling, switching to LED bulbs and energy-efficient appliances ), walking, biking, or using public transport, wasting less food, and most importantly reduce, reuse, repair and recycle.