i Generation
The world is on our shoulders
By Alyssa Christianson

The Apocalypse is something that has been sitting heavily in the back of all of mankind's minds for thousands of years. The constant fear that we, in the end, aren't in control of our own fate can sometimes seem overwhelming.

The end of the world is something that we have all thought about no matter what creed, ethnicity, or gender we are and lately, it seems like we've been growing increasingly concerned.

Movies and especially television have begun focusing on the inevitable end of the world more frequently. The idea has been pushed into our views more forcefully than ever before in the 20th century.

Global warming is one of the most daunting causes for the end of the world and also one of the most immediate at hand. What we do now to our environment is going to either hurt or help us in the future.

After years upon years of smoke-billowing factories running unrestricted and emissions from cars being cast into the atmosphere, our planet has become critically injured.

The carbon dioxide that has been released into the atmosphere is creating what is known as "greenhouse effect," where the Earth is slowing growing warmer because heat is being trapped inside the atmosphere.

Glaciers and ice caps north and south of us have begun melting at extremely fast and unnatural paces. If the melting continues at this rate, the ocean levels could rise up to 20-feet within the next century.

Nearly everything humans casually do every day can harm the Earth. From throwing recyclables into ordinary garbage cans to smoking a cigarette to using aerosol cans, we are literally destroying our own future as a race.

We have the knowledge and technology to accomplish what we need to do to save our decaying planet before it completely spins out of control, but reformation on a global scale seems nearly impossible.

The weight of this accomplishment rests, now, solely on the shoulders of the 'iGeneration'. If we as a global family can't work together and find a way to reform, we are setting ourselves into a trap for destruction.

While attempts to convert cars to run on alternative fuels, such as ethanol, produced by soy and corn, or hydrogen, one of the most prominent elements on Earth, it still wouldn't be enough.

In my opinion, the world has to become biodegradable as well as solar, wind, and hydro-powered.

Biodegradables, or objects that naturally decompose, are the answer to landfills and recycling. Although new materials would need to be developed, I'm sure it would be more effective than what we are doing today.

The process of recycling is nearly as dangerous to the planet as emissions from factories and cars.

Plastic factories, for example, need to melt down the plastics and refine them before they can be reused, which releases noxious fumes into the air.

Natural powers, such as the sun, wind, and water would be much more effective and also more conservative than electricity, gas, or oil.

While oil is a limited source of power, the sun as well as the wind and water are permanent, for the most part.

Conversion to natural powers would be much cleaner and healthier for not only our planet but for us.

The danger of global warming is imminent. The environment isn't going to change to fit our style of living, so we have to change.

We are literally demolishing our own living space by carelessly polluting the world around us. We need to begin today in changing our ways.

The smallest steps can still be first steps towards a cleaner world. Recycling and conserving energy but unplugging electronics while they aren't in use are some of the easiest ways to begin working towards saving ourselves.

Success or failure is in our hands now. We have to decide whether we want to save our planet or take advantage of it.

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Alyssa Christianson is a member of the Oakmont Regional High School Class of 2008. She resides in Ashburnham with her parents.