The plan was for peppers, not pollution. But when Yamira A. and her family began a garden in their back yard, the dirt was laced with lead.
“The soil didn’t work with the plants,” says Yamira, 10, of Chicago. “We had to put in a raised bed.”
Yamira’s family planted the garden as part of a project with her school, McAuliffe Elementary. The program was about healthy eating, and her family was asked to grow an organic garden. But the tainted soil also taught Yamira a lesson about pollution.
Pollution has been in the news a lot recently, as have global warming and other environmental issues.
Late last month, for example, a giant Arctic ice shelf was reported to have broken free. The 41-square-mile Ayles ice shelf is believed to have collapsed in August 2005 from an island in the Canadian Arctic, and scientists say unusually warm temperatures could be the reason.
For kids, understanding these complex Earth issues can be difficult, but nonetheless, many are worried about the planet. In fact, 56 percent of kids ages 12 to 18 are critical of the government’s environmental policies, a study by Teenage Research Unlimited found.
Addie G., 16, of Glencoe is concerned about the planet. She’s taking an Earth science class at New Trier Township High School, and every day pulls empty plastic water bottles out of the garbage and puts them in the recycling bin.
“I know that global warming is a very cliche topic, but it really is concerning me because it is causing problems,” Addie says.
Just what exactly is global warming? Simply put, it means warmer temperatures caused by pollution. And it’s threatening ecosystems and human life, says scientist Amy Lynd Luers of the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Temperatures are rising because human activities, such as driving, release gases into the air. The gases trap heat that would normally escape into space. The result is called the greenhouse effect because it keeps heat in the atmosphere.
Weather systems intensify
Ocean temperatures also become warmer, and Luers says increased water temperatures can mean more destructive hurricanes. “As hurricanes move over warm water, they become more intense,” Luers says.
Hurricane Katrina reminded Americans how destructive these storms can be to human life. The 2003 European heat wave, which killed more than 30,000 people in Europe, showed how excessive heat also can be destructive.
And the Earth is on average one degree warmer since preindustrial times, Luers says. That doesn’t sound like much, but Luers says it is a big deal. That one degree is an average for the entire globe, over time and during different seasons.
If the Earth keeps warming, the 2003 heat wave will be the norm by 2040, she says.
“By 2040, half the summer is expected to be as warm or warmer than it was during the 2003 Europe heat wave,” Luers says.
Pollution also is causing problems in the United States. In California, Luers says 90 percent of residents live in areas where the air quality does not meet state standards.
And California’s water supply is in trouble, too, she says. Snow in that state is now melting two to three weeks earlier. “Our whole water system is built around the fact that we have snow,” Luers says.
Animals are taking the heat
Water shortages may be one of the challenges humans will face if global warming continues. By the time today’s kids are the same age as their grandparents, Luers says “life will be very different.”
Animals will be affected too. Just a 5.4 degree average temperature increase could destroy half the tundra in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. The tundra is home to mountain goats, bighorn sheep, elk and ptarmigan (a type of bird), according to the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization and Natural Resources Defense Council.
The idea of future water shortages, scorching summers and endangered animals sounds scary. But scientists such as Luers say it’s possible the effects of global warming can be affected if humans start polluting less.
Not all scientists agree
Other scientists disagree. While these scientists say the Earth is warmer, they believe the cause is up for debate.
The E-Team, which is made up of scientists at the National Center for Policy Analysis and works to “correct misinformation” about the environment, says the causes of global warming still are unknown.
On the E-Team Web site (www.eteam.ncpa.org), the scientists state that reducing carbon dioxide emissions could hurt the economy and “do little or nothing to prevent global warming.”
While scientists work to learn more about global warming, Elise D., 12, of Norridge worries kids aren’t taking the planet’s problems seriously. She says she really can only talk about the environment with her friends from Girl Scouts.
Elise first became interested in the environment when she was in 4th grade and her troop had a special nature project. “I made a bird feeder, and that started my respect for nature,” Elise says.
Her respect has turned into repair. Elise and her Girl Scout troop recently brought native grass back to a barren area in Wisconsin.
But kids don’t need to travel out of state to protect the planet. Addie says kids can pick up and recycle litter. “Don’t assume someone else is going to pick it up,” she says.
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Make a difference daily
Doing just a little can help. Kids can use less energy and water, and recycle more to help the environment. Here are some tips to get you started:
Drive less. Addie G.’s rule? Walk every place she needs to go in her town. For close distances, she says, “it’s not necessary to use a car.”
Hitch a ride. Carpool just twice a week and you’ll save the planet from 1,590 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions. That’s a lot — especially because the average American generates about 15,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions each year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Skip a burger. Eating less meat and more vegetables can help the planet, according to a 2006 study by the University of Chicago. The animals’ waste sends gases into the environment. Fossil fuels also are burned during food production.
Be waterwise. Turn off the faucet when you’re brushing your teeth! Leaving the water running can waste 2 gallons per minute. And ask Mom or Dad to fix the leaky toilet; it can waste 200 gallons a day, according to the EPA.
Think big. Consider the Earth the next time you linger with the fridge door open. Scientist Amy Lynd Luers says kids should remember that wasted energy also is a type of pollution.
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Want to learn more?
The problems facing our planetcan be confusing. But there are plenty of resources that can help kids learn more:
Epa.gov/kids/
This colorful Web site from the Environmental Protection Agency has games and activities that teach about Earth issues such as recycling, global warming and air pollution.
ClimateCrisis.net
Click on “Take Action” and the Carbon Calculator will reveal how much impact you and your family have on the environment. This Web site is for the documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” with former Vice President Al Gore.
Earth911.org
The kids’ section of this Web site has instructions on how to make your own recycled paper and leaf prints. Kids can choose their grade level for age specific info.
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ctc-kidnews@tribune.com
