The message I try to express [through my art] is that some of our best-known wild animals might, in my lifetime, no longer be on the planet. painting by Josie Martin
~Josie Martin
PLANET RESCUE Grassroots Strategies Combat Climate Crisis by Julie Marshall
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ike most kids, Azalea Morgan loves polar bears. “They’re fluffy and cute,” the 8-year-old says, and after watching a documentary on how climate change is affecting these Arctic apex predators, she badly wanted to help. Her mom, Molly Morgan, suggested she do something big, because the problem of global warming is monumental. For nearly three weeks last September, Azalea pedaled her bike alongside her mom and 9-year-old sister, Ember, setting out from their hometown of Andover, New Hampshire, en route to New York City to attend the United Nations (UN) Climate Action Summit, where Greta Thunberg and other global youth leaders marched for change. The trip was a fundraiser to put solar panels on their school and for future projects under KidsCare4PolarBears, a Facebook page that documents their ongoing efforts. 14
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While not everyone has the time or inclination to ride 250 miles and camp— some of it in the rain—or as Thunberg did, sail across the Atlantic in a zero-emissions yacht, there are steps individuals can take to combat climate change on a grassroots level, experts say, because the crisis is undeniable, as seen most recently in the catastrophic bushfires across Australia. There are peaceful protests taking place worldwide scheduled throughout 2020 at FridaysForFuture.org and other organizations, but a growing number of individuals that want to do more are using their imaginations and creative endeavors, inspiring others to take unique action. Students at a school in Spain wrote and performed a play and illustrated a book to raise climate change awareness, while a teen from California used her artistic skills to raise thousands of dollars for wildlife. On March 28, people around
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the world participated in the World Wildlife Fund’s Earth Hour by collectively turning off lights at 8:30 p.m. while holding eco-events, and others are joining in the global tree-planting campaign of The Nature Conservancy (TNC). Reversing course may seem insurmountable, but individuals have a lot of power, says Dan Shepard, UN global communications officer: “The choices we make, the things we do, collectively matter and can have a huge impact on the world.”
Stepping Up for Biodiversity
“I wanted to inspire other kids,” Ember says of her bicycle trek for polar bears. “I love animals and they deserve to not die.” According to a 2019 UN Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, more than 1 million species are threatened with extinction, and one of the main reasons is climate
