I am James Apuyan, a Junior from American Canyon High School. I have always thought that issues concerning the environment are the number one concern in our world today because they affect everyone’s everyday lives. Without a safe ecosystem, our planet would be a hot wasteland and I think we need to take as much action as possible to prevent this from happening.

Consequential Effects, by James Apuyan

In the whispering winds of a warming Earth,

A tale of sorrow comes to birth,

Where glaciers weep and oceans arise,

Beneath the pale, polluted skies.

Forests once lush with verdant green,

Now echo rise of what has been,

Fires rage with a fierce embrace,

Scorching the land with a ruthless pace.

Species vanish, one by one,

Silent victims of the blazing sun,

Coral reefs, once vibrant, & bright,

Fade like ghosts in the dead of night.

Storms grow stronger, with fury unleashed.

Nature’s wrath, a vengeful beast,

Floods devour, droughts deplete,

Fields turn barren beneath our feet.

Cities crumble, lives displaced,

A harsh reminder of our haste,

To chase the shadows of fleeting gain,

Ignoring the planet's silent pain.

Yet in this gloom, a truth does shine,

A call to action, a sacred line,

For we hold the power, the choice to change,

To heal the world, to rearrange.

With every step, each small endeavor,

We mend the wounds, we bind together,

For the earth is not a distant other,

But the heart of life, our shared mother.

So heed the warning, rise and stand,

Protect this fragile, precious land,

For in its future, we find our own,

In climate's care, our seeds are sown.