Today, millions of Americans will wake up in the morning, drink their coffee, and drive to work in a ventilated car or other vehicle. They will go through their work day using the lamp on their desk or in their cubicle, typing on their computer information for the company they work for. At break time, they might have left that lamp on, or forgotten to turn off their Mac. Some might say this is no big deal, and by leaving on that device it didn't impact anything. But by leaving on a computer or a light, you are using energy, and therefore contributing to climate change. By driving to school or work you are emitting carbon dioxide into the air. Most people don't know that climate change is an issue because scientists don't stress that it is a issue. If we don't change our ways now, how are we ever going to fix this very serious problem that is already showing up in our everyday lives?

According to the Koshland Science Museum of the National Academy of Science website, climate change influences many things,including species, forests, and fires. For example, a couple of ye ars ago we were all told that polar bears might go extinct because the ice caps were melting. What I didn't realize was that the ice caps were melting because the sea level is changing. That is just one example of a change that might happen. Another example is fires. Fires in America have been burning hotter than usual, at an 1.8°F increase. If we don't want even more wildlife to be impacted, we need to take action.

So turn off your lights when you leave the room. Shut down the computer when you're on break. Use BART or some other form of public transportation. Let's change our future now. Because if we don't, who else will?