Newark Charter

Web of Wonders

The Earth is a meticulously and marvelously made existence. More than thousands of ecosystems had to align for Earth to be habitable. Prey-predator, Humans-Plants, Earth-Sun, Heat-Cold, all of them affect each other in a perfect balance for Earth to go on. NASA constantly looks for habitable planets like Earth, yet only finds two that get close to Earth’s beauty. While reflecting on these circumstances I realize how delicate and easy it is to destroy them.

I remember a time when snow fell, and how I would get excited and run outside to experience its excellence. The childish way I would beg my mother to run and make snowmen outside, have snowball fights, and more. The way my mom would complain about how hard it is to drive in the snow, but to see our faces, smiling from eye to eye made the trouble worth it. The wonderful experience that’s so precious to me and many hearts is slowly, and dramatically, fading away. 

Climate change is making our snow disappear, only to be remembered in our memories. The constant waiting and wanting have withdrawn from me as I come to realize snow is no longer falling. The amount of snowfall we receive in the U.S. measured from 1930 shows a .19% decrease per year according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The death of the snow could mean that our kids and grandkids will never get the chance to enjoy the snow. A connection between you and your kids, decimated, just like that…

When I have those thoughts I like to look to the future and imagine. I envision a world where I ask my kids how school was and they would say it was good, but they wish they had a day off. I would mention the euphoria of having a snow day and fun they could have. They would exclaim their excitement and wait just like I did, steadfast and patiently, but in vain. The sadness I would feel as a father is sickening as they ask “Why isn’t it falling?”. “Where is the Snow?”.

It’s not only snow that’s going away, glaciers in Antarctica are melting. This is having devastating effects as the animals are losing their habitats, natural disasters are occurring more frequently and more intensely to name a few examples.  The United States Environmental Protection Agency exclaims,” Retreating glaciers and thawing permafrost in the Arctic are creating local and regional hazards that disrupt lives and livelihoods, infrastructure, sustainable development, and national security”. The sacred balance of the world’s ecosystems is vanishing which will only confirm our destruction. And yet the source of all these problems is us, the humans.

The effects we humans have had on climate change are astronomical. The moment we discovered fossil fuels guaranteed our downfall. The emissions we produce only begin to climb each year. The total emissions in 2021 were a whopping 6,340 million metric tons of CO₂. Carbon dioxide is a very efficient greenhouse gas that contributes to the warming of our planet.  The numbers show how much of a problem this is and we continue to do nothing about it. Imagine pouring oil on a house that’s already on fire, staking the flames, burning it more, that’s what we are doing. NASA states that if we stopped right now it would still take many centuries for the temperature to decrease back to an appropriate range of tolerance for many of Earth’s organisms. If we continue we will not only bring ourselves down, but all the animals and possibly Earth itself. The perfect gift we received, slaughtered, just like that. This disturbing behavior would be the answer for my kids. I would feel astonished and embarrassed as this is how I have to represent myself to my children. Though the keyword is “I would”. We can make a difference.

We have to stand up and defend ourselves. We need to recognize that I, We, and You can do something. Plant a tree in our backyards, reduce energy consumption in our lives, and protest the government to switch to renewable energy sources. Those things all help with the carbon cycle that is desperately brawling with climate change. There are a lot of things you and I can do. If everyone on Earth planted one tree, imagine how great things would get. It’s 2024, a new year, make this one spectacular thing you and everyone can do to protect and cherish the Earth you live on, the snow, the animals, the glaciers, and more.

One day I look forward to seeing the snow again, there will no longer be the feeling of hopelessness in the reality that snow won’t drop anymore. I look forward to being a proud father in my worldview of the future as I see water that’s not polluted, the sky more blue and bright, and the world being restored to its former glory. Climate change isn’t the only problem on Earth, but it’s certainly a big one and if we could help solve even one.. that would be enough. So everyone do what you can, plant a tree, volunteer for picking plastic on beaches, or even something as basic as making sure to turn off the lights before you leave the house. Anything and everything will help in the saving and protecting the future of the Earth.