The Urgent Call for Climate Action: Our Responsibility to Save Earth

Life on Earth was said to have begun 3.5 billion years ago, and humans were thought to only have existed for 6 or 7 million years.

We have always lived with our own traditions and cultures, staying in equilibrium, living in time with the Earth, and then all of a sudden, the world started becoming smaller. Not literally

of course, but technology made miles seem like inches, and hours seem like seconds. No more do we coexist with Mother Nature and all

her children, we own them.

Modern life is not anything we could have imagined. Sea levels are rising past the extreme levels.

Animal populations are disappearing at rates unimaginable to man. The oceans have become toilets that do not flush. Climate change is rapidly increasing due to bad decisions about our energy plans.

The very nature of our planet, the one and only Earth, is now changing. It is predicted that by 2050 urban air pollution is set to become the top

environmental cause of mortality worldwide. The number of premature deaths from exposure to particulate matters is projected triple

from just over one million today to nearly 3.6 million per year in 2050, and more than 40 percent of the world's ozone linked to premature deaths are expected in China and India by 2050.

By 2050, global warming could create 150 million climate refugees.

About one-third of global freshwater biodiversity has already been lost, and further loss is projected by 2050. Climate change will replace

agriculture as the fastest-growing driver biodiversity loss by 2050. Already, the human impact on our environment are starting to show. Glaciers are melting, lands are corroding

and the atmosphere is in a dangerous state. Our future is rapidly rushing up to meet us. "Man was innocent until he discovered the difference between good and evil. When he was no longer oblivious of that knowledge,

he became a fallen creature. We are not alone on this planet. We are a part of a community, upon which we depend on absolutely." "We're destroying the world because we are, in a very literal and deliberate way,

at war with it," as author Daniel Quinn writes. So what can we do about this? What can YOU do? We, to start off, need to educate. We need to educate everyone around us,

and tell them what's happening. Then, we need to take action. It's the journey itself that's going to change you, and the the destination is the goal of equilibrium. Whether you're an adult or child,

male or female, rich or poor, everything counts. There are so many things you can do, big or small.

Well, the most, utmost vital problems we're experiencing right now are the need for sustainable energy

of the future, because it determines the conditions of our children. Just the whole future of society depends on us and our decisions.

And we really realize that we needed to confront this whole sustainability out, once the price of oil topped $147 [a barrel]. These

fossil fuels that we're using, they're obviously nonrenewable, as they're a finite supply, but also they're ruining our Earth. We're taking them from the ground

and we're burning them. To confront this issue, we need to use our fossil fuels while we have them to build a more sustainable future

by building wind farms, solar farms, uh, just many regions. Well, some of the results of global warming are the melting of our ice caps, where 98% of the world's freshwater are located, which is a

major problem as water fresh water is a finite supply as well. Well, partly the Arctic ice is melting, and melting fast.

What we've done with the air pollution and and building up of greenhouse gases, we can't deny it, the planet's getting warmer. And the

consequences of that are endless. One of the one's we're seeing right now is the Arctic ice melting, and of course that throws off the whole ecosystem. Just one little change in such a delicate habitat can

kill many species, and we're seeing that, we hear that everyday, we hear the polar bears are dying, we see the videos of the polar bears falling off the ice and it's real, it's happening. And

we have to change now, for us to fix it. By 2050, Montana's National Glacier Park is going to be glaciers.

So, what's a glacier park without glaciers? In Shanghai, the environmental authority last month weakened its air pollution standards to

reduce the number of health alerts. Meanwhile, the central government has drawn mockery for recently classifying smog as a natural disaster,

but when it's been severe enough to hamper air traffic, even some officials have to be wondering whether pollution can suffocate Shanghai's ambitions

of becoming a global financial centre. I think another important thing about climate change that must be addressed is cities. Recently, the United Nations came out

with a report saying that the fight against climate change will be won or lost in cities.

How humans and countries and non-state actors can be able to solve climate change,

or at least address it, perhaps a more comprehensive international agreement can be made, and kind of helping all countries to see past a

carbon-based economy and perhaps, beginning to engrave more sustainable development initiatives in their own regions.

So the way that cities are designed in the future, the way that people have the resources delivered to them in the cities, the way governments use

energy policies in cities will be a huge, huge issue in the twenty-first century. In that case, individuals can

use fewer resources. Perhaps, beginning to change the way that we live our lives and the modes in which we move ourselves, and the way we we could reduce our effect on climate change.

Right now, one of the biggest problems is overfishing. There's so many different sources of life in the ocean, so many fish and so many species and so many

different animals and we as one species seem to be wiping them all out. We are completely exploiting this

beautiful source of life and we are overfishing, we can't control what we're doing and we're not just taking fish out of the ocean, we're taking all these other species,

all these crustaceans, and jellies, are sponges are getting caught up in the trolling nets and it's terrible. Tons of marine mammals are dying in these nets

daily as we overfish our oceans. Mainly we need to spread awareness. Within our generation, it's our responsibility to take over this in a couple years

In a couple years, we'll finally get rid of the conservatives that are our parents and it's our turn, it's our time to make a difference. We can't sit around any longer and say,

"Oh, it's the government's fault, oh, the politicians need to take action." It's our time, and so we need to learn this home, and we need to learn about our

responsibilities for it. We can't just sit back anymore, we can't let people exploit and destroy our home. We need to speak up.

In your community or in your school, with your family or with your friends, do something on your own. Even the smallest thing has an impact. Well, today we're here for the International Beach Cleanup and

we have a lot of trash. What have you found so far? A lot of cigarette butts, some interesting stuff you wouldn't normally see, like in the seaweed, a lot of plastic. It's good we're picking it all up.

What have you found so far? Lots of cigarette butts, and plastic and bottle caps. We found a cellphone, socks,

and a comb. And we found a pair of flip-flops in mint condition, rope, some corncobs,

a condom packet. So why do you think we need to clean up the beaches around the world? Because I think as people we don't have the right to destroy other creatures' environment, we have to respect our world and respect the creatures

we share it with. So, why do you think it's important to clean up the beaches around the world?

Because if any animals eat them, like turtles, birds, it could kill them,

it could be very deadly, especially if it's wrapped around their necks or anything like that. Right. So, what will you be doing in the future? Will you be doing this again?

Yep, there are many dates for the ICC and just come out to the beach on your own or in a group. It really helps, every little piece helps. It's really fun, too. The weight of our trash was 3 pounds and 15 ounces.

7.8 ounces for recyclables and 1.3 ounces for trash. Five pounds and 1.5 ounces. It was 23 ounces. Mine was 12.5 ounces. Mine was 12.5 ounces.

12.4 ounces. 9.5 ounces. What do we want? No Arctic drilling! When do we want it? Now!

2050 is our deadline before the consequences of our actions come back to hit us at full force. Already, global warming is causing unnaturally strong storms in places such as Philippines and Japan.

Millions of yet undiscovered species are threatened as a result of the loss of rainforests and the pollution of our oceans.

Population will be at an all-time high by 2050 while each and every person causes irreversible damage. We will suffer losses that are presently unfathomable to

mankind. World War III could break out over the clean water supply, or the last hundred barrels of petroleum.

Entire populations could be decimated due to air pollution or rising sea levels. The year of 2050 will most likely be the last year that Earth

can handle all of the abuse, neglect, and total disregard that humans put out for her before she finally crumbles. However, the future isn't totally grim.

If we decide, right here, right now to help up our Earth rise up out of the manmade ashes we nearly buried her under, 2050 may just be another year that life goes on,

rather than the one that ends civilized life as we know it. Together, we all will be able to halt our actions