Christina Hinkle
Staff Reporter
What do flip-flops, t-shirts, sweatshirts, and jackets have in common?
You’ve probably worn each of those things outside at least once this month. With unusually warm October days interspersed with normal fall weather, everyone’s confused about what’s going on.Senior Cristina Cone said the biggest issue with the rapid change in weather is “not knowing what clothes to keep at school and which ones to bring home. I had all of my winter clothes here at the beginning of October, not expecting it to be 75 degrees out.”
On October 14, the farmer’s almanac reported an average temperature of 64 degrees, with highs throughout the day reaching 82 degrees. On that same day, ten years ago, the average temperature was 59 degrees, reaching highs of 63 degrees in the afternoon.
So with a temperature increase of almost 20 degrees in ten years, should students be worried? According to an article in the New York Times, yes. The article believes that the human race is responsible for the rapid increase in temperature over the past 50 years and that it is too late to reverse the effects of what has already been done.
Senior Sarah Fisher says, “it’s scary to think that we can have such a negative impact on the environment, and right now, the weather in particular.”
Senior, Jamie Patterson agrees with her and says, “We need to start making the necessary changes to stop the effects of global warming on the environment.”
So what can we do? Since increased amounts of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is the leading cause of climate change, students should be aware of how much time they spend in their cars and the amount of gas they go through each month.
According to Live Neutral, an eco-friendly organization helping in the fight against global warming, one of the most important steps students can take is to share.
By sharing rarely used items with your friends, you can decrease the energy and pollution that comes from mining, manufacturing, packaging, and transporting new goods that you might not need.
Interested in learning more about what you can do? Visit the Live Neutral website, which offers more suggestions concerning the conservation of energy and the waste of CO2 emissions.