Effects Global climate change has already had observable effects on the environment. Glaciers have shrunk, ice on rivers and lakes is breaking up earlier, plant and animal ranges have shifted and trees are flowering sooner. Effects that scientists had predicted in the past would result from global climate change are now occurring: loss of sea ice, accelerated sea level rise and longer, more intense heat waves.
The 14-Year-Old Voice of the Climate Change Generation This post first appeared at In These Times. Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, 14, is on a crusade to stop climate change. (Photo: Xiuhtezcatl Martinez) ‘This problem is happening so humanity can come together, rebuild, reconnect, recreate and rebirth a new world.’ Alex Lin, Teenage Activist He's overseen the recycling of 300,000 pounds of e-waste. He's successfully lobbied the Rhode Island state legislature to ban the dumping of electronics. He's used refurbished computers to create media centers in developing countries like Cameroon and Sri Lanka to foster computer literacy. He’s Alex Lin and he’s just 16 years old. “I don’t see anything uncommon in it,” says Lin, a high school senior from Westerly, Rhode Island.
Xiuhtezcatl Roske-Martinez, 14, wants to save the world BOULDER — Xiuhtezcatl Roske-Martinez is only 14 years old, but already he's a seasoned superstar in the world of political and environmental activists. Enter his name — an Aztec word pronounced "Shu-TEZ-caht" — on a search engine, and nearly 5,000 results pop up. He has given TED talks about his work as a leader of Earth Guardians, a worldwide organization of conservation-minded children and young adults. Last fall, he was invited to speak about the global water crisis at the United Nations. His "What the Frack" hip-hop video, a catchy anti-fracking song, has more than 2,000 views.
ARKive - Discover the world's most endangered species Wildscreen's Arkive project was launched in 2003 and grew to become the world's biggest encyclopaedia of life on Earth. With the help of over 7,000 of the world’s best wildlife filmmakers and photographers, conservationists and scientists, Arkive.org featured multi-media fact-files for more than 16,000 endangered species. Freely accessible to everyone, over half a million people every month, from over 200 countries, used Arkive to learn and discover the wonders of the natural world. Since 2013 Wildscreen was unable to raise sufficient funds from trusts, foundations, corporates and individual donors to support the year-round costs of keeping Arkive online. Therefore, the charity had been using its reserves to keep the project online and was unable to fund any dedicated staff to maintain Arkive, let alone future-proof it, for over half a decade.
Teens Sue Government for Failing to Address Climate Change for Future Generations Many young people feel they have too much at stake to wait for our leaders to get their act together and take meaningful action on climate change. In the words of one young climate activist, Alec Loorz, we need to demand our political leaders “govern as if our future matters.” With their future at stake, many youth have taken their case to the courts in the hopes that the judiciary will require the legislature to take action. “We are all in imminent danger,” Loorz, who founded the nonprofit Kids vs. Global Warming, told Outside Magazine.
American Pika Genus: Ochotona Species: princeps For years, the polar bear has been the symbol of the global warming movement. But today, the American pika has good grounds to compete with the polar bear for this unwanted honor. American pikas are suffering because global warming has brought higher temperatures to their western mountain homes. Pikas live in high mountain ecosystems that are cool and moist.
Michelle Obama Tweets To Mo’ne Davis, ‘Sports Kid Of The Year’ “You knocked it out of the park for girls everywhere,” Michelle Obama said Monday in a tweet to Mo’ne Davis (pictured) after Sports Illustrated Kids named the Little League pitching sensation its Sports Kid of the Year, ESPN reports. RELATED: Little League Pitching Phenom Mo’ne Davis Lands Book Deal She sure did! The 13-year-old Philadelphia honor roll student attracted widespread attention after she led the Taney Dragons to a 4-0 victory over Nashville, Tenn., in August.
Moral Heroes In the mid 1990’s, a bright young youth made a global impact on Child Slavery. Iqbal Masih’s life was cut short just shy of 13 years but his powerful and eloquent speeches encouraged thousands of bonded laborers and child slaves to follow his example. He brought awareness and promoted education so that others could stand up for their rights and end the injustice in sweat shops around the world. In 1983, Iqbal Masih was born in the poor community of Maridke outside of Lahore, Pakistan. His family was financially burdened, and his father Saif Masih decided to leave when Iqbal was young. When he was 4 years old, Iqbal’s mother Inayat needed funds to pay for his older brother’s wedding.
Earth Guardians - Standing up for the Earth, Water, Air Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, a 13 year old indigenous environmental activist from Boulder, Colorado, came into the world through the Aztec culture on his father's side, and environmental activism on his mother's side. His name was chosen by Aztec elders of Mexico based on the cosmology of the Aztec calendar and given to him when he was six weeks old in the Black Hills of South Dakota by elders Arvol Looking Horse and Xolotl Martinez. Xiuhtezcatl has been participating in ceremonies and Aztec dancing since he could walk, and is very connected with his culture. He grew up learning to respect and care for the Earth and all life upon it.
The Reaction To #LikeAGirl Is Exactly Why It's So Important Out of all the controversial ads that aired during the Super Bowl, the one that may have spurred the most vocal backlash was the one that promoted gender equality. The original "Like A Girl" spot, which first aired in June 2014, featured people being asked to throw, run and fight "like a girl." Instead of simply doing these actions, each person weakly reenacted them, by accidentally dropping the ball or slapping instead of punching.
The Girl Little League Pitcher Everyone's Talking About With a blazing fastball that clocks at 70 miles per hour and a curveball that spins heads, Mo’ne Davis struck terror into even the bravest hitters at this summer’s Little League World Series. Standing just 5’4” and weighing only 111 pounds, Davis relies more on precision pitching fundamentals than sheer brawn. Many compare Davis’ technique to Major League pitcher Clayton Kershaw. A Bullet Can't Kill a Dream - Who Was Iqbal? Who Was Iqbal Masih? (click on pictures to see full size jpg) Iqbal Masih was four years old when his father sold him into slavery. He was forced to work more than twelve hours a day.