In the 15 years of my life that I have been on this earth and Pakistan, I feel that I have seen quite a bit. As I mature, I’m starting to understand things much more clearly and differently.

Just as we need to understand politics, economy and psychology, amongst other things, we need to learn about climate change too. I love birds, animals, sea creatures and some insects such as bees, butterflies, ants, and the ladybird beetle in particular. I also love trees, so obviously I am concerned about the environment.

But over the past few years, there have been some serious concerns about the environment and this makes me anxious and worried. Climate change has affected not only our lives, but also of most of the species that live on this planet, so being an animal lover, my anxiety is getting worse.

From the Ice Age to the present day, we can see how climate has had an impact on our lives over centuries. Right now, the world is suffering the effects of global warming and because of this, the weather pattern is changing, with a marked difference in the nature of rainfall, water supply and rise in temperatures, which have increased on an average.

A 15-year-old urges for action that will save the environment and slow down climate change

We can change this. All we need is a united community that is ready to do as much as it can and make caring for the environment an important mission. It’s sad that people are talking and discussing about mundane issues or why Mars should be their second home when they should be discussing how we can save and conserve the only home we have — planet Earth!

My country is one of the most affected by climate change. Glaciers are melting, while flooding is getting frequent, even in places where floods were rare. Whether high or low temperatures, both are reaching record-breaking levels. There may be many problems in each country, but the world has one common problem — climate change.

At the rate we are cutting trees, one day there will be so much carbon dioxide that not even the existing trees will be able to save us. Climate change is like terrorism. The longer we wait to take action, the more the damage is done and the harder it to stop.

The year 2019 ended with the news of wildfires in Australia, and all through the year there were alarming news about other bush fires, melting of glaciers and near extinction of different species. So much is happening and we are doing very little. That’s not fair to mother earth, or to the species who have not played any role in this catastrophe and it is certainly not fair to the future generation.

Make climate action your first priority. This is just the beginning and it is possible to bring a halt to climate change. We need to take individual steps, however small they may be, to read up on climate change and take care of the environment around us. The solutions are there and all we need to do is start playing our part to save the world from the disastrous effects of climate change.

Published in Dawn, Young World, January 18th, 2020