As all people know, the world is having mild and warm weather in winter. This is due to global warming. Carbon dioxide in the air traps the sun’s energy in the atmosphere so that it is not lost in space. This is called the greenhouse effect. Releasing more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere increases the greenhouse effect and this is making the Earth hotter, thus global warming.
There are solutions to global warming available to us today and it’s time we put them to use. These solutions will reduce the amount of heat-trapping gases that we emit into the atmosphere. Among the solutions are ways of reducing the amount of fossil fuels we use to power our vehicles and generate our electricity, and protecting threatened forests, which store carbon in their biomass.

What can I do about global warming?
You don’t have to wait until you are grown up to do something about global warming. Scientists agree that the burning of fossil fuels is causing global warming. Since these fuels are burned for energy, and everyone uses energy, everyone can help stop global warming just by using less energy.
Think about the things you do each day that use energy. The lights in your house use electricity. The TV and computer use electricity. The washing machine, dishwasher and dryer all use gas or electricity.
There are some very simple things that everyone can do to help stop global warming:

Turn off the lights when you leave a room. Use fluorescent bulbs in your room.
Turn off your computer or the TV when you’re not using it.
Wait until you have a lot of clothes to wash before using the washing machine. Don’t use the machine for one item just because it’s your favourite shirt.
Take shorter showers. Heating water uses energy.
Close the blinds on a hot day if the sun is shining in. Dress lightly instead of turning up the air conditioning. Or use a fan.
Dress warmly when it’s cold, instead of turning up the heat.
Offer to help your parents keep the air filters on your AC and furnace clean.
Walk short distances instead of asking for a ride in a car.
This is the best time to worry about global warming, because there’s no longer any doubt in the scientific community that it’s happening, but if we act now, we can still avoid its worst consequences.

Maria Rosa Ciantar from Mater Boni Consilli, Paola, was the finalist in the World is in your hands competition organised by MediaToday in conjunction with MB Solco. She came first in 12 to 13 age category. Her tutor was Mrs Marika Betts. Maria won a solar water heater kindly donated by MB Solco.