Last week we celebrated Earth Day. It was an opportunity for reflection and appreciation of the wonders of the natural world that we live in. But how are we going to move forward? When next April 22nd rolls around in 2022, will we seriously be able to say that we have acted in the best interests of the Earth?
With the passionate belief that climate action must be taken, and the eagerness to make a difference that we all share, we think you'll enjoy these three excellent pieces written by members of Miss Moss's Year 7 English class.
Waste. We humans create a lot of waste and rubbish. Between 1993 and 2009 household waste increased by 16 percent and we now produce just under half a ton per person each year. Most of this rubbish is hauled away by the rubbish man and buried in a huge landfill or it is burned. Both options are harmful in their very own way. Is our rubbish really rubbish? Well, if you think about it, a lot of what we throw away can be used again. It makes sense to reuse and recycle our rubbish, instead of making the planet pay for our mistakes. Much of our rubbish is made up of glass, metal, plastic and paper. Our natural resources such as trees, oil, coal and aluminium are used in enormous amounts and have a huge effect on our economy. So, what can you do? Well, I'm going to bring up a word that you’ve probably heard of before in this natural crisis. Plastic bags. Plastic bags are made from petroleum and they don’t decompose as easily as you think. Instead, they break down into smaller pieces that could harm the soil and damage land or sea species. According to other research, it is estimated that between 501 million to 1.5 trillion plastic bags are used throughout the entire world. I for one, when going to the shop, try and store some reusable bags in the boot of my parent's car, and use them whenever we go shopping. This is one of the simple actions you as an individual to do to help save our oceans and our planet. Another well-known action to help in this situation is to use a paper bag instead of a plastic one, but these are just as harmful. Paper is made from trees, which means that millions of trees are being cut down to make them. Also, the production of paper bags are also production of toxic chemicals into the air and water. They actually cause 70 percent more air pollution and twice more water pollution compared to plastic bags. Regardless of what you chose whether its plastic or paper bags, most of the supermarket bags are only used once. I hope you have considered everything I have said I will think about your living lifestyle and what you can do to help.
Bramble Train, Year 7
Have you ever wondered what the world would be like untouched? There would be no plastic, no pollution, no climate change, and none of the thousands of problems we have today. There would still be actual trees in the rainforests and plastic free oceans.
More than 1 million animals are at risk of extinction because of climate change, and the 20 warmest years on record have been in the past 22 years. Therefore, if we do not make a difference now, we will not ever have the chance.
Do you know where your waste goes after you put it in the bin? Or do you even put litter in the bin? Because simple things like picking up a single piece of rubbish could make a massive impact.
If we humans disappeared overnight, the world would be better off. The shows by David Attenborough demonstrate that we are the ones that are destroying this plant, so we are the ones who need to fix it. It has been shown that there is more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere today than there has been in the past 800,000 years.
Therefore, I think saving the planet is particularly important and if we all just did our bit for it, then we will save our future.
Bella Robertson, Year 7
By 2040 it is said that we artic region will have a completely ice-free winter. that means we have just 20 years to change. 20 years to save all the innocent animals that live on those icy plains. Just 20 years.
Arctic sea ice is declining at a rate of 31.1% per decade because of our excessive use of things like electricity, coal and oil. The carbon dioxide levels are increasing dramatically, the levels are higher than they ever have been. In the past 800,000 years our ancestors have done their part so what's our excuse? Do you really want to be the generation that future children look at and think, they ruined this for us, they let the world melt between their fingers and did nothing to stop it?
We, as humans are the dominant species, and it is up to us to change our behavior. We are ruining animals’ lives. I believe it is our duty to save this world. Because if we don’t then who will? It is in human nature to blame, but when the world is destroyed, BY US, who will we blame? Who will take the fall for OUR mistakes? No one, we are on our own in this battle for climate change. We must do something.
I was always puzzled how children are ones being taught about this climate crisis, children are the ones who are being told to do something. I believe that adults should be more aware of this current situation because after all, how are we meant to learn if we don't have anyone with experience guide us. I urge you to go home tonight, and spread this message right your family tell them, what we need to do to save our planet.
Saving our planet doesn’t have to cost money, all it takes is simple changes in our everyday lives. When was the last time you did something as simple as recycling plastics and paper? When was the last time you were conscious about how much packaging is surrounding something you wanted to buy? Just think about that now and all of the small costless things that you can change in your everyday lives. Small simple changes come with enormous benefits.
I would also like to talk about the amount of disposable face coverings that are being used, last lesson I made account of how many people use disposable, single-use face masks. around 57% of people woke up that morning and decided not to do something, they decided not to change, they chose not to help our planet. That means that only 43% of people chose to change. A couple of pounds is all it takes to save our planet.
I hope you agree with all the things I've said above and I hope you will join me in this fight against climate change, our world is in a state of crisis and I hope you will make the change. because after all, there are no second chances.
Alice Edge, Year 7
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