Alex Carson
Global Warming
Global warming is a very serious problem. Without making the necessary changes, the rise in the average temperature on Earth can cause heat waves, the increase in sea level, melting glaciers, flooding, the early arrival of spring each year, coral reef bleaching, and the spread of disease. Since humans don’t want to make the necessary changes, we rely on the rainforests. The rainforests store the Earth’s rainwater and then releases it back into the atmosphere. Unfortunately, the rainforests are now at risk as well.
The United States Backs Out
For decades, many countries in the world were working together to stop global warming. This is because leaders from all over the world understand that we need to work together. We may not all live in the same country or even on the same side of the world, but we all share this planet. This is what brought world leaders together to make a difference and save our planet. Unfortunately, when Donald Trump was elected President of the United States in 2016, the United States backed out of the agreement.
Trump claims that he hasn’t seen enough proof to believe that global warming is real. Regardless of all of the studies and evidence, he says that it isn’t real. Many people are sure that he knows that global warming is occurring, but his oil drilling buddies would suffer if the United States were to continue helping prevent global warming, so he claims that it isn’t even happening. All this denial is doing is destroying our planet. The day after Trump’s inauguration, the official White House website dedicated to global warming was taken down. It is sad that a leader would deny global warming solely for greed; but fortunately, we have people in the world who are willing to do what it takes to prevent global warming.
Oil Companies
The greedy people who work for oil companies want to destroy our rainforests simply for the sake of profit. It is up to us to fight back against these oil companies if we are going to save our planet so that it still exists for future generations. An Amazon tribe decided to fight back against the oil companies.
Waorani
An Indigenous tribe called the Waorani live in the native of the Ecuadorian Amazon. When they heard that the Ecuadorian government was planning to drill for oil over seven acres of rainforest, they knew that they had to do something. Even though they are in Indigenous tribe who basically lives off the grid, they understand the dangers of oil drilling in the rainforest.
Getting Some Help
A-list actor, Leonardo DiCaprio heard about the troubles that the Waorani were having, and he decided to speak out on their behalf. On Twitter, he wrote, “The Waorani people are one day away from saving half-a-million acres of forest from oil drilling. Watch the video and send a message to Ecuador’s government: protect indigenous rights & the Amazon.”
Heading To Court
The Amazon tribe knew that the only way to stop the oil companies from drilling was to take them to court. They filed a lawsuit against the oil drillers, hoping to force them to stop drilling. This Amazon tribe wins lawsuit against oil company to save half a million acres of rainforest.
Winning
When the tribe heard that the judge ruled in their favor, they were thrilled. A spokesperson for the Waorani of Pastaza released a statement saying, “Today we have protected our forest from oil drilling; we have protected our water from contamination, we have protected our children from sickness. This is a legal precedent for indigenous rights.”
Appeals
Unfortunately for the people of the Waorani tribe, their fight is far from over. The government hasn’t given up on wanting the oil that lies beneath the land, and they are going to file an appeal. The government is hoping that they will find someone just as greedy and unscrupulous as the American President, and the judgment will be overturned.
Why?
Most people wonder why the oil companies are willing to risk their plant and the lives of everyone on it just to make some money. Many oil company higher-ups claim that they don’t believe in global warming, but this likely isn’t true. They figure that they won’t be around when things get really bad for our planet, so why not make as much money as they can while they are still here. This is a very selfish way of thinking.
Do What You Can
Although you may not be living in the Amazon, you still have a responsibility to make your voice heard before the appeal process begins. Every voice counts, and if there are enough voices, we can keep global warming from destroying our planet.
Our Home
The Earth is everyone’s home; therefore, it is up to all of us to do what we can to save it. What we see about global warming on movies is nothing compared to what can really happen.
