Masterton Intermediate School pupils Ebony Wills (left), 13, Hannah Davies, 12, and Sarah Flemming, 13. PHOTO/HAYLEY GASTMEIER
Masterton Intermediate School pupils EBONY WILLS, HANNAH DAVIES, and SARAH FLEMMING investigate the impacts of the planet’s changing climate and simple steps we can take to improve the situation.
Climate change is a real problem with real consequences.
And we all need to do something about it.
As the world warms, extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and intense, sea levels are rising, prolonged droughts are putting pressure on food crops, and many animal and plant species are being driven to extinction.
The way we are going now, by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the world’s oceans.
It’s hard to imagine what we as individuals can do to resolve a problem of this scale and severity.
But it doesn’t have to be this way – according to studies we can change our future just by doing small things in our everyday lives.
Here are a few things you can do to help:
Use the car as little as possible, walk, bike or using shared transport will make a big difference.
Planting trees or bushes traps the CO2, which helps clean the air and gives us fresh oxygen in return.
Reduce the amount of meat you consume.
Try to buy organic and local foods or products whenever possible.
Compost your food scraps.
Grow your own fruit and vegetables.
Each time you buy a new appliance, look for the energy star label (a red label with star rating).
Change to energy-efficient light bulbs.
It’s not about changing your life suddenly but more about understanding what the problem is and how you make a difference by just getting a reusable bag or composting your food scraps.
If you would like to find out more, look up David Suzuki, a Canadian academic, science broadcaster and environmental activist, who was our main source of information for this article.
On Friday, November 1, MIS will be holding a drive-in movie to watch 2040, a film about how we can all do our bit to help.
On your way out we will ask you to please plant a tree to help counteract the carbon it took to drive to the movie.
- More information will be on the MIS website (mis.school.nz) or Masterton Intermediate School’s Facebook page.
