Frozen In Time

15

"Good morning, everyone. As Jenny has already told you, my name is Stiles Stilinski, and I'm a scientist that works at Stansfield Laboratories. And before you say anything, 'Stiles' isn't really my first name, but it's just what everyone calls me. I think you would all be confused if I told you my real name. Hell, I couldn't even pronounce it myself when I was a kid." Stiles begins to talk to his audience. There appear to be journalists, scientists and university students alike in the crowd, some of them staring at him with mild interest while others already look bored and fed up with Stiles' attempt to break the ice. Stiles gulps a little nervously, afraid that he's being too awkward. He then glances over at Scott, who smiles and nods at him, encouraging him to continue. Stiles feels some of his nerves and awkwardness fade away, especially as he pretends that Scott is the only one in the room right now.

"Anyway, that's beside the point. I'm here to talk to you guys about climate change. It's a very big problem that is threatening our world, but no one is doing much about it. Some people even believe that us humans aren't causing climate change at all, which I believe is ridiculous. Of course, we are having a big impact on climate change! The amount of CO2 emissions we release into the atmosphere is not healthy, and it is having a terrible impact on our environment. If we don't try and slow global warming down, we could be facing some real disasters in the near future." Stiles continues to explain, feeling more comfortable now. Scott watches his friend speak with curiosity and interest.

"Now, for those of you that don't know what global warming or climate change is, here's a quick rundown. Global warming occurs when CO2 and other air pollutants and greenhouse gases collect in the atmosphere and absorb sunlight and solar radiation that have bounced off the earth's surface. Normally, this radiation would escape into space—but these pollutants, which can last for years to centuries in the atmosphere, trap the heat and cause the planet to get hotter, which is known as the greenhouse effect." Stiles talks to the audience, his voice filled with enthusiasm and passion, as this is a topic he loves talking about and wants people to know the truth.

"Over the past 50 years, the average global temperature has increased at the fastest rate in recorded history. All but one of the 16 hottest years in NASA's 134-year record have occurred since 2000, which is quite scary stuff when you think about it. It makes you think how much worse it will become in the future." Stiles tells his audience, Scott continuing to listen with fascination. He admires how passionate Stiles is about this topic and his love for science in general. He can see that Stiles is trying to help the world become a better place in his own way, and that's always admirable.

"As a result of global warming, there have obviously been some negative impacts on our environment. Some of these impacts include extreme weather events such as bushfires, cyclones and droughts. Floods are also becoming more frequent and more intense as a result of global warming. Ice caps are continuing to melt at an alarming rate. Sea levels are rising along with levels of acidity in the ocean and the ocean's temperature rising. And all of this is due to global warming. Rising ocean acidity threatens shellfish, including the tiny crustaceans without which marine food chains would collapse. Due to the rising ocean temperatures, tropical storms can pick up more energy. So, for example, global warming could turn a category 3 storm into a more dangerous category 4 storm." Stiles explains, using a few hand gestures here and there to help aid his explanation.

"Can you guys really tell me that global warming is not dangerous, or that humans are making it worse? Yes, the climate is warming naturally and there already are greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, but at the same time, countries around the world do not care about how much carbon dioxide they are releasing into the atmosphere, making the greenhouse effect even worse, causing worse global warming." Stiles asks the audience, tilting his head ever so slightly.