Presented are a selection of the student writings online and in print.
Dear Editor,
Have you ever wondered why droughts, floods, hurricanes and storms happen? It’s because of climate change. Climate change has become a serious issue in the past 100 years because of different types of conflicts. Humans have caused disasters in the ocean disturbing the water environment, water pollution. Water pollution is caused by us humans, in a variety of ways, which has led to short fresh water supply around the world, killing animals and plants. We create this conflict by littering, dumping trash and garbage, and toxic waste.
There are numbers of ways we can prevent or at least slow down climate change. You might think it’s not important, but we are already suffering too much, and by a few year later, this problem will lead into a huge problem that we can no longer control.
Water pollution has decreased our fresh water supply around the world. For example, littering is part of the water pollution. People carelessly dump trash, garbage, and even toxic wastes into the water. Despite the rising numbers of the world population, fresh water supplies are growing short. Countries such as Egypt, Northern Africa, and other countries fight over the rivers in the land.
Humans kill ocean animals by toxins they discard along with garbage and trash. Microscopic plankton easily harm living creatures in the water, the most. If the plankton takes up poison chemicals, and if the animals eat the poisonous plankton, it can also harm us, humans as well. Once, 616 people died because of the disease, caused by water pollution. Chemicals and toxins come from factories or from the fertilizers that are used to help crops grow. Oil is another chemical pollutant. Raindrops and rainwater may carry chemicals down through the soil and into the ground water. Heat can also cause water pollution in the water. When the heated water is dumped into the rivers or lakes, it kills plants and animals.
Water pollution is a part of climate change. It all started from the air pollution. When there is too much greenhouse gas air pollution, it creates CO2, as the ocean sucks up the carbon dioxide. However, because we make too much greenhouse gases, and because we produce too much CO2, the ocean cannot subsume all the carbon, resulting the carbon dioxide into the atmosphere causing global warming. When the earth reaches a certain amount of limit, severe weathers such as droughts, hurricanes and storms may happen. Droughts for example, affect a lot of countries such as India, Afghanistan, Iran and many more.
How can we try to stop the water pollution that leads on off climate change? Electricity, oil and the gas. All these must decrease. These three things lead mainly to climate change, involving the water environment. Littering and polluting the water is a serious problem that we must stop as well. As we add more toxic, trash, and garbage into the water, the more animals will be in danger and the oceans will be affected, resulting severe damage.
Water pollution is just some of the problem that led on to climate change. Once climate change gets out of hand, we will no longer be able to control it and by the time we try to, the glaciers will melt, animals will be extinct, and the earth will be in danger.
Climate change has happened many years ago. However, we did nothing to stop it or even try to prevent it. Let’s at least try, starting from now on. Let’s save our world, together. It’s not too late.
Amy, Grade 7, Gordon Greenwood Elementary
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