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Svante and Climate Change
Once upon a time, there was a Swedish chemist called Svante Arrenhius.
Svante was clever.
so clever that he received the Nobel Prize
for something called the electrolytic theory of dissociation.
Svante also discovered something else,
that if carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increases,
the Earth will become warmer.
That wouldn't be so bad, Svante thought.
However, bad was precisely what it was.
And if Svante had been immortal he would have been able to see...
What?
It would be 100 years before researchers realised that
the increased temperature was dangerous (not nice).
Where it is warm, it will become even warmer.
Where it rains, it will rain even more.
If the polar ice sheets melt, the sea level will rise and land will disappear.
This climate change will reduce crop yields.
And the food shortage will lead to people starving,
increasing the risk of war.
A million animal species are at risk of becoming extinct.
But surely people would never allow this to happen,
Svante reckoned.
As a researcher – dead or alive –
Svante thought there must be a solution to this.
But although researchers during the last 20 years have said
that emissions must go down,
they continue to increase.
New technology will not be sufficient to turn the tide.
People also have to travel less by car,
eat less beef
and reduce their air travel.
Things will turn out all right, Svante thought.
People will have to change their habits,
but most will find it hard.
I just don't get around to it.
I guess something else got in the way.
If we don't act now, we will have a catastrophe on our hands,
Svante thought.
Therfore, there is a need for political decisions that are good for the climate.
What a superb idea, Svante thought.
This must be the solution!
Those who are grown-up now must shape up,
and on the double
They can't go on behaving like spoilt children
who continue to drive cars,
fry beef and fly around the globe with total disregard for the climate.
Those who are grown-up must show us
that they care about the future for us young people.
On the Internet there is a petition called ”Radicalise climate politics now”.
Sign it and show
that you are a person who wants political decisions
that are good for the Earth's future.
And please ask everyone you know to also sign it.
When you do this, you will become a hero
who can tell your children that
you helped stop global warming.
How wonderful that they actually did manage to stop global warming,
Svante thought.
This is a Swedish petition with the aim of influencing Swedish politicians.
Please act to influence politicians in your country to take decisions
that will decrease emissions in your country.