Howard High School 10th

Royce Garrison

William Penn High School – 10th 

Inadequate Access to Healthy Food

Hello, me and my partners’ names are Amari Cradle and Royce Garrison. We both work for Delaware Nature Society as Trial Ambassadors. We are writing about the environmental issues that are going on, how they can worsen, how it could affect the future, and ways we could change it for the better.

Imagine yourself 20 years in the future. The normal person would believe themselves to have settled down into a nice life, with little worries. But that’s far from the truth. If today’s stats (regarding the environment) trend in the same direction they’re going in for a long period unattended to, then there won’t be a nice planet to where you can settle down. It’s simple really, humans have evolved and learned the usefulness of the Earth’s resources, and are using it to their advantage. But everything has a toll. In a world that thrives off innovation and creativity, resources are being used at an all-time high, creating risks for the future. Despite this all being true, people haven’t taken it into action, and the time is almost up to do it. Climate change has affected the world in many ways, such as the air quality and extreme weather. These are all reasons why you should start to build your relationship with nature and realize its importance for yourself, and the future. 

Climate change is, and has been an ongoing problem for the past years, and yet we haven’t seemed to have done anything to change it. We are experiencing nearly a 2-degree difference in how hot the planet should be, and even though it may not seem like a lot, a 2-degree difference is enough to change the world. Warming up 2 degrees puts far more of the population at risk of extreme weather and increases the likelihood of the planet reaching irreversible damage. For example, according to CNN, the collapse of the polar ice sheets, the mass death of coral reefs, and even more were all caused by the “small” change in temperature. If warming up a few degrees can cause this, imagine the damages that a 6 or 8-degree increase can cause. Well sooner or later we won’t have to wonder, as it’s approaching faster than ever before, and if we don’t do anything, we will face the consequences. 

Climate change isn’t only affecting the weather and temperature, though. Carbon levels are rising at an alarming rate, similar to the heat. The burning of everyday fuels releases carbon dioxide into the air, and always has. But when we release large amounts over the course of decades, effects are bound to come. It’s all a domino effect. High carbon causes poor air quality, and masses of carbon in the atmosphere lead to rising temperatures. As stated in the paragraph above, the causes of rising temperatures can be devastating. This proves that we have the ability to kill 2 birds with 1 stone, because if we can stop one, the other problem will cease.

Lastly, we’ll speak about our connection with nature, and how it can affect the environment and the person. Ever since I was little I’ve always loved nature, going outside every day, exploring creak, playing outside, and overall enjoying the outside experience every day. My connection to nature is very important and has been throughout my entire life, and it should be for everyone so we can better the world. Our use of resources is shaping the future in a bad way, and building our connection with nature can help us take steps in the right direction. Despite this, some people don’t care and still litter or pollute the world. Pollution is a major cause of climate change, and because of it, it is a leading cause of rising CO2 levels, endangerment of species, and unsafe oceans. These are just a handful of the issues the world is facing. If we were to gather together and build a connection with nature, we can slow down the inevitable results of climate change, and make the world a better place for years to come.

All of this proves that we must take action and do the right things that benefit the planet to make a better environment for ourselves, the future, and the next generations. People can begin to learn skills that help in reversing the damage we have done. I hope this enlightens people on the environmental issues we are going through. We were both given insight as young men, and are now looking to take action. We hope we can do the same for others.