Saving our Planet

 COP26, the United Nations Global Conference on Climate Change, is still going on in Glasgow. Representatives from about 120 nations are gathered to pledge major changes in order to decrease global warming. Unfortunately, Russia and China, big contributors to this crisis, are not represented. And developing countries will depend on richer nations to help them fulfill their goal.

The evidence of climate change is all around us: increased hurricanes, wild fires, flooding; higher temperatures, melting icebergs, arid lands, and the dying out of hundreds of animal species. We can see the problems, but what can we as ordinary individuals do about them? One thing we can do is travel less by car and instead ride a bicycle or use public transportation. Another thing is to eat less beef which will cut down on methane gases in the atmosphere. In addition, we could use more solar and wind energy to heat our homes and buildings instead of coal and gas. And we can grow vegetable gardens to decrease the number of trucks transporting our food. We can create awareness of the urgency of the situation in our neighborhoods and towns through town hall meetings, letter writing, and presentations. 

It is good to see young people like Greta Thunberg taking the lead in demanding change. She is rightfully concerned about the future of our planet. She and others are not willing to let our planet's resources be depleted and leave future generations with the catastrophe. 

But time is running out. By 2030, we need to cut global warming down to 1.5C and by 2050, environmentalists say we must achieve zero carbon emissions. We must act now to save our precious planet.