第48回 全国大会結果

高校の部 優勝
塩津 麻央(東京学芸大学附属国際中等教育学校)

What Are You Doing to Fight Global Warming?

 By 2025, 2 in 3 people in the world will face water-stressed conditions.
 By 2050, the Arctic will become completely ice-free in summer.
 By 2100, the global sea level will rise by up to 1.2 meters.
 These are all effects of global warming. Now, you're probably thinking, "Not a talk on global warming again!", and I don't blame you. Today, we're constantly warned about this issue, and repeatedly told to take action. But let me ask you a question: What are you doing to fight global warming? Because we're always warned about it, that's an easy question to answer, right? Actually, that's rarely the case.
We learn about global warming in school but use cars to go home. We read about it online but buy cheap CFL light bulbs instead of more energy-efficient but costly LED light bulbs. We discuss reducing CO2 emissions with our colleagues but leave the room with the lights on. We all know that people must reduce greenhouse gas emissions to fight global warming. The problem is, we all seem to consider ourselves exceptions to that.
 I'm not here to tell you that something must be done to fight global warming, because we all know that. I'm here today to talk about how we can make a change. I believe, that there are two things we need to make that change.
 First, courage. Let me tell you a little story. When I was 15, I decided to participate in a marathon. I was determined to do my best and decided to work out at the gym in the months leading up to it. But the problem was, there was a bakery next to the gym. One day, right before I entered the gym, I smelled the irresistible smell of freshly baked chocolate cake wafting from the bakery doors, and I just couldn't help it. I told myself, "I still have a few months before the marathon" and treated myself to a chocolate cake.
 To be fair, a lot of us will go for the cake. It's the easier choice to make. Because the marathon seems far away, we don't fully consider the consequence of eating the cake. That's exactly what's happening with global warming. We're in denial of the reality of the issue, because the consequences seem far away. Somewhere in our brains, there's a naïve voice saying, "It’ll be fine".
 To realize and accept that global warming is, indeed, happening, takes courage. Let's face it: it's scary to think that we're destroying our planet's future. But the first step in preventing doing any more harm, is to have the courage to recognize that we are, indeed, harming it.
 This leads me to my second point: we must feel responsibility. A lot of us rely on companies and governments to fight global warming. We think, "There's nothing that I can do". The truth is, each and every one of us is responsible for making a change, no matter how small, because we, the ordinary citizens make up most of the world population, and therefore are contributing most to global warming.
 We cannot depend on other people to solve the issue of global warming, because we are the root cause of this issue.
 As people who are fortunate enough to be living a luxurious life with access to electricity, water, food, and education, it is our responsibility to change our lifestyles. Recognizing this responsibility will naturally lead us to take action, by installing solar panels to power our home electricity, or using public transport instead of cars.
 As inhabitants of this rapidly warming globe, our role for the future of our planet is to have the courage to face the reality of global warming. It is to feel the responsibility to make a change. And finally, each of us must have an answer to the question: What are you doing to fight global warming?