by: Alexis Celine Morabe || Photo Credit: Getty Images/Forbes

Climate change is a story we’ve all heard and a tune we can sing in harmony. Scientists have warned us of the consequences of it, yet we never seem to fail to look the other way. Although 2022 may not have been the most disastrous year of severe forecasts, we are indisputably witnessing the effects of climate change and the impacts of one natural catastrophe after another. According to the UN Secretary-General, the world is in a state of climate emergency—they dub it “a code red for humanity.” 

A code red for humanity sounds intimidating. It doesn’t mean that lunar eclipses would wake zombies nor would any siren-infested tsunamis grace the world. It simply means that the Earth is becoming so hot that temperatures in about a decade will almost likely exceed an extent of warming that international leaders have aimed to avoid. 

Cities across the globe have been experiencing too-hot summers and breaking temperature records left and right, and with schools reestablishing face-to-face classes, this can prove to be an obstacle to learning. 

Floods, forest fires, storms, tornadoes, and many more have wreaked havoc on many schools. A four-day break can turn into a month in a blink of an eye because of damage done to buildings, classrooms, books, and other materials which become beyond use. Students severely affected by these calamities may find it difficult to even think about school when they have to worry about their own survival. Why worry about the canceled play when you don’t even have a house? Why worry about your drowned project when you’ve lost a family member? Why worry about graduating from school when you don’t even have enough money to buy sardines? 

The consequences of climate change are alarming. Countless ordinances and programs have been established to help lessen the effects of climate change, but these alone wouldn’t be enough. What could you do, dear reader? A few ways everyone can help would be to invest in renewable energy, reduce plastic use, recycle, and raise awareness. These are keys to helping not only the Earth and community, but education as well.