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Jordan Sazama
Olivia Stoltman
English 110

How Much Time Do We Have Left?

Imagine your favorite vacation spot; the beaches of Florida, the waves in Hawaii or even better

that all-inclusive in Mexico with drinks on the house. A place so incredible that you forget about

all responsibilities and throw stress out the window.

Now take the time to think about your home, wherever it may be and the influence it has on your

life. It may be the place your kids grew up, or the place you fell in love, regardless it has had a

monumental impact on your life.

What would happen if those places started to slowly disappear? Year by year, minute by minute,

the places you cherish would dissipate. Then we would finally realize what we are doing to our

very own planet, and if we continue to wait, it’s going to be too late.

Those same places we cherish; the beaches in Florida, the hometown where you grew up, are

starting to change. People may say climate change is far in the future, but realistically we as a

society are already there.

According to NASA, in 2016, 8 of the 12 months (January-September excluding June) were the

hottest in history and reached an average temperature that had never been reached before. In

addition, 5 of the warmest years on record have taken place since 2010.
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Not only has the air warmed 1.62 degrees Fahrenheit since the 19th century, the oceans have also

warmed 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit in the last 40 years (NASA).With most of the global warming

taking place in the last few years, we as a species need to take action and reflect on our actions

that are hurting our planet.

Due to the extreme changes in our earth’s atmosphere, places on earth are starting to suffer as a

result. Extreme weather patterns such as hurricanes, heat waves and the melting of polar ice caps

all have an impact on the status of planet Earth.

I was a freshman in college, it was the second week of April, and climate change was in full

effect. In a college town southeast of Minneapolis, La Crosse (Wisconsin) was ready to endure a

crazy week. On Monday, the temperature peaked at 77 degrees, a very unusual heat wave was

enjoyed by many knowing the rest of the week would not be the same. Once Wednesday arrived,

down came the snow and the temperature dropped below 30 degrees.

Now, some people may make the argument that snow in the middle of April shows that the

climate could not possibly be warming but this thought is not correct. According to the National

Climate Assessment, the changing climate has a direct correlation with extreme weather events.

Climate Change alters ocean currents, creates extreme heat waves and extreme precipitation and

flooding (National Climate Assessment). These events are a direct result of the changing global

climate and is a direct result of

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human interaction. The evidence of La Crosse, Wisconsin changing from a heat wave to a

blizzard is a concrete example of extreme weather conditions.

As the caretakers of planet Earth, something needs to be done so that future generations have a

place to call home. There isn’t a more perfect time to start making a difference than now. If we

wait too long, climate change will be out of our reach and we will have ruined our planet.

It is also a common thought that, one person can’t fix a problem as big as climate change which

is incredibly false. If everyone in the world started making decisions to help contribute to the

cause, then as a whole we could help save the environment. Making changes in your life do not

need to be extreme, but little things can add up and ultimately make a difference.

To start, using less and recycling more can decrease the amount of materials taken out of the

environment. This decreases the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere and ultimately

changes the impact of climate change on the planet. Recycling can be as easy as putting plastic in

the recycling bin at your house or crushing cans and taking them to the junkyard. A very easy

way to recycle is to participate in no sort recycling where they accept all materials together and

they don’t need to be sorted which makes it very easy to contribute.

Every person on the face of the planet needs to understand that it is their job to help save our

world and it can only be done if we all come together. Saving the earth cannot be done if we sit
and wait for someone else to do it. It is our job to take the first step and insure that all of the

future generations have a place to call home.

Works Cited

“Climate Change Evidence: How Do We Know?” NASA, NASA, 26 Mar. 2019,

climate.nasa.gov/evidence/.

“National Climate Assessment.” National Climate Assessment, nca2014.globalchange.gov/.