On Tuesday, February 21, 2023, CNN released an article explaining how the antarctic ice levels are melting fast. The article is titled “Antarctic sea ice hits record low again. Scientists wonder if it is the beginning of the end.” Scientists believe it’s the beginning of the end, proving that our environment is changing rapidly. This quick change is tearing apart our world. A planet that is our haven, our ark, and our home, is being destroyed, though some people may ignore or deny it. To find out how to stop it, we must first learn what it is doing, now and in the future, in order to know what is at stake. After we figure this out, we can look at what we as people can do and what our world’s governments can do. These cover most of the facts and the solutions to solve one of the biggest long-term problems for us and the planet we live on. 

To understand more, we have to look at what climate change is doing now. For example, NASA’s “Vital Signs - Ice Sheets,” last updated on March 17, 2023 states that the ice and icebergs on the continent of Antarctica and the sea around it are melting quickly. The rate of change is 151 billion metric tons per year. That means every year, we are losing on average 151 billion metric tons of ice, which is equal to 332,898,015,899,165 pounds of ice melting every single year. Furthermore, the ice on Greenland is melting even faster, at a rate of 273 billion metric tons of ice lost every year. All of that melted ice is going into our warm oceans, rising sea levels, and killing those animals that rely on arctic or antarctic ice. Some may think this won’t affect us, living so far away, but it will.  For example, if the ice melts in Antarctica, nearly the entire state of Florida will go underwater. Not to mention that there would be mass genocide with the penguins and other animals that depend on antarctic ice as their habitat dwindles. If we let Antarctica’s ice disappear, it will leave a rocky, barren surface uninhabitable to many animals. Imagine going to the zoo and seeing penguins, but knowing there aren’t any wild ones. In addition to melting ice in Antarctica, climate change is affecting the weather here. CBS has an article posted on their website written by David Schechter, a national weather correspondent, on February 21, 2023, “Climate change is making winter weather warmer and weirder.” This article quotes, “It's been a weird winter. Record snow in Buffalo. Ice in Texas. A parade of atmospheric river storms in California. In parts of the Northeast and New England, January was one of the warmest months ever, followed by a historic cold snap in February.” This article then proves that what climate change is doing now is dangerous, weird, and unreliable. They talk to multiple people, some with Ph.D. s and some normal people who have observed changes. We can tell that climate change is dangerous for our planet and is moving quickly. As long as we live on Earth, climate change will affect us and how we live. 

In the future, climate change will do lots of damage to our world. The most damaging thing it will do is raise sea levels. If all of the ice melted, sea levels would rise by around 216 feet. Business Insider, a well-respected source about business, politics, and the world published a video on April 22, 2017, “Animated map of what Earth would look like if all the ice melted.” This animation shows that ten major US cities, plus the entire state of Florida, would go underwater if sea levels rose 216 feet. Now that it has been 6 years since that video was published, it is still relevant but the sea has already risen a few inches. A boat ride off the southern coast of the United States, probably starting in Georgia, could take you weaving between buildings where the streets of Orlando, Tampa, and Miami used to run. Rising sea levels would certainly make some places uninhabitable, but it’s not the only thing. If trends continue, one of these places where humans wouldn’t be able to survive will be the middle east. NASA’s “Global Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet,” updated last on March 7, 2023, says that due to a drought likely caused by climate change, the sand there is drier than ever. This dry sand combined with higher wind speeds than normal, also probably caused by climate change, create huge dust storms. These dust storms cover things with a layer of sand just like snow. However, sand is heavier and the particles are smaller than snow, enabling it to find its way into small crevices that snow would not make it into. Sand is damaging to the lungs and will make these places uninhabitable. The sand will find its way into the lungs no matter what. Sea levels rising and dust storms are only two dangers of climate change. There are countless more just as dangerous, and the amount of hazardous weather is growing; hence the reason we need to slow climate change. 

To stop those terrible things from happening, we must work to stop climate change. The things we can do as people, though they may seem small, are very important. We can’t impose laws on emissions. We can’t punish businesses for not complying with those laws. However, we can do the little things. The things we don't think about because they “don’t mean anything” are in reality some of the only things we can do. After all, we don’t always think leaving the light switch on can make a big difference; however, we need to come to realize that leaving our light switch on may eventually turn the Earth’s light switch off. If we keep polluting the world, the sun could be blocked by chemicals in the atmosphere. This is one of the many reasons we must do something about climate change. Turn off the lights. Unplug the TV when it isn’t being used. Not only will it save money, but it will save the environment. Carpool or ride a bike. Walk to work. Support companies that use renewable energy. There are tons and tons of little things we as people can do to keep the Earth’s light switch on. We aren’t alone in having responsibilities to keep the planet clean though. Here are some things governments should do. 

The big things. The things that they talk about on the news. These are the things that governments across the world can do. Brittanica’s “Global Warming-Climatic Variation since the Last Glaciation,” Updated last on March 14, 2023, explained that one of these big things is creating emission limits on businesses. If businesses get limits on their emissions, one of two things would happen. Either they would lack the money to produce enough goods, or they would convert to more sustainable energy. Although it may hurt some businesses now, it would help us in the long run. Another good thing about a limit would be that small businesses would not have to worry because they don’t produce enough to create high emissions. An additional thing governments could do is help fund companies that promote and use renewable energy. Often, companies that use renewable energy struggle to make money. If companies like this could get extra funding from the government, the success rate of these companies would skyrocket. This would be a great way to make our world more sustainable and start to use renewable energy. This money could be given as tax refunds, cash or check, or lower tax rates. These are only a few of the things governments could do that would immediately impact how we use energy. 

The things that are happening now, put simply, are bad. Nearly everyone knows it, though some may deny it.  If we continue to pollute our world, the things that happen in the future will be even worse than the things happening now. We need to find a way to break this chain. We, the people, who live on planet Earth. Whether we turn off the lights or get elected as president, we need to find a way to help slow climate change. Excuses, ignorance, and reluctance are the things holding us back from creating a better world. If we could simply pay attention to the signs that our world is dying, we could fix it. This problem has gone so far that scientists wonder if it is “the beginning of the end” for us. We as a society need to fix it. Young people who are future leaders need to figure out how to do something about this crisis. Listed above are things that anybody can do to help save our little piece of the solar system. The blue planet is on death row and some people act like nothing is happening. My advice is to look outside. Everybody knows things are changing, but only some are brave enough to do something about it. Be that person who is brave enough to do something about climate change.