According to the ICPP (The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), the past decade is likely to have some of the highest temperatures in the last 125,000 years. 

Not only that but there is more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere today than at any time in human history. 

Adding more carbon dioxide into our atmosphere causes global temperatures to rise which is the cause of many climate crises.

In July 2021, Western Europe experienced fatal floods and heavy rainfall that killed over 200 people and caused billions of dollars worth of damage. 

An NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Counsel) study determined that these rains were at least 40 percent more likely and 10 percent more intense because of climate change.

Another effect of climate change is the loss of animal species. 

Iberdrola.com says that climate change is accelerating the sixth extinction. 25,000 species are in danger of disappearing and climate change will be responsible for 8% of these. 

The rising temperatures increase many of these species’ survival rates because of the temperature changes that led to less food, less reproduction, and more.

Climate doesn’t change day to day like typical weather. It changes slowly over hundreds of thousands of years meaning that humans are most likely the cause of these changes. 

The ICPP has made the statement that, “It is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land.” How are we so certain? It took a while, but climate modeling is now refined enough to predict how things would go without human influence, within a margin of error. What we are observing today, however, is beyond that margin of error, therefore proving that we have driven the change.” 

People often believe that humans are not the cause of climate change and that it is simply the world evolving. This is wrong. 

There are over 8 billion people on our planet. It isn’t a coincidence that the climate has drastically changed while the population grew.

It has been proved by scientists that we humans are the cause of climate change. 

There are many different ways that we can help limit climate change, such as saving energy at home, walking or biking, throwing away less food, etc. 

Although most teenagers would rather grab a bag of Hot Cheetos than a couple of carrots, believe it or not, eating more vegetables can help lower environmental impacts. 

Another way you could help is by simply recycling and reusing.
According to the UN ActNow, Electronics, clothes, and other items we buy cause carbon emissions at each point in production, from the extraction of raw materials to manufacturing and transporting goods to market. 

You may think that one person recycling a bottle of water and eating some broccoli won’t do much, but imagine if 8 billion people started taking action to limit climate change. 

Remember, something is better than nothing. 

Having a recycling bin in your kitchen is better than nothing. 

Using a bike or your own feet as transportation is better than nothing. 

Shutting your TV off when you’re not watching it, is better than nothing.

All of these things are small doable habits that you could start. Let’s leave last decade’s high temperatures in the past and make the small changes we need to make to save our planet.