About a year ago I read the incredible 'An Inconvenient Truth' by Al Gore. After reading this book I felt compelled and a little angry. Why hadn't I heard about this before? Global warming has been occurring at alarming rates since the 1970's and now that it was almost to the point of irreversible consequences was the matter being put in the spotlight.
I immediately went into action - I spread word of the issue to all my friends, family, and my school through articles, surveys, and conversations. I encouraged them to replace CFL light bulbs with energy efficient light bulbs, to unplug electronics when they're not in use, recycle, use less water, walk instead of driving when you can, etc, etc. It seemed like an upstream battle, but I was determined to do something to help fight this crisis.
And here I am a year later and I'm encouraged by what I've seen. I see my friends and family doing the things that I told them will help, the 'Concerts for a Climate in Crisis' over the summer helped get the word out globally, the movie version of 'An Inconvenient Truth' won two Oscars and got another 21 wins and five nominations, and global warming is an issue being addressed in the presidential campaigns. Nonetheless, global warming is still one of the biggest issues to ever face the planet and is a long way from being solved.
Reading 'An Inconvenient Truth' truly changed my life and I definitely think that anyone who doubts that global warming is putting our planet in a crisis should read this book that's filled with the science of global warming, facts, and solutions.
Together we can make the difference. Together we can be the generation that saves the planet.