By: Ellie Moore

Global warming is impacting our environment in many ways. Climate change is caused by an increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere because humans are burning fossil fuels and destroying the forest.

The effects of global warming are occurring throughout the whole world, and although climate change is bad everywhere, it is worst in Japan with the Climate Risk Index being 5.5 (you want a higher Climate Risk Index). The Philippines is the next worst with 11.17, and Germany is third with 13.83.

Rising temperatures have led to the melting of polar ice caps and glaciers, causing sea levels to rise and putting coastal cities at risk of flooding. Extreme weather events such as heatwaves, hurricanes, and droughts have become more frequent and intense, leading to loss of life and property damage.

The impacts of global warming affect our economy, health, and social well-being. It is estimated that by the end of the century, global warming could cause the loss of trillions of dollars in economic output and displace millions of people from their homes.

The latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that the world is running out of time to limit global warming to safe levels.

By the year 2035 it is said that the effects of climate change will be irreversible. The main “tipping” point being sometime between 2026 and 2042. This means we only have a few years to change our habits.

Since we only have around 20 years to take action we need to drive less and carpool if we can. Some other ways to slow down climate change is to eat less meat or use less electricity in your house.

With the population growing, it is harder to get everyone to take action, but if everyone took one small action it could make the difference of 1 million more years of our planet’s existence.

However, despite these efforts, global warming continues to worsen.

Global warming is not just a problem for the future, but one that we are already facing today. We must act now to protect our planet and secure a sustainable future for ourselves and future generations.

For more information, please visit:

• https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.iberdrola.com/sustainability/top-countries-most-affected-by-climate-change__;!!LSatmg!-gehBkSigsffBsN73nVX3-1zaYX3AlMXcC3ol1udbYLXdSz_534lW-en6NceLq9ydcMXsRKgiUcgAga6CdFJ16WxFKsuc5o$

By: Jasmine Williams

According to reports, on Wednesday, February 15, a meteor smashed into pieces in McAllen, Texas, as confirmed by NASA. Some of the other pieces had landed near Mexico’s border.

This meteor, known by others as an unknown object, weighs as much as a grand piano. That’s quite a meteor. This meteor was estimated to weigh about 1,000 pounds before breaking up.

The weather radar was used to help determine how the meteor entered the atmosphere by angle and speed, which was 27,000 miles per hour, stated by the NASA Meteor Watch. This helped NASA verify that the mysterious object was a meteorite. According to ‘CBS NEWS’, in three days, three different meteorites landed in Texas, France and Italy.

The meteorite had the power of around 8 loads of TNT, but no damage was caused, NASA said. The meteor made a mark in the sky and the Earth shook when it supposedly landed. There were photos and videos taken, shown on Twitter, and filmed on home security videos of the meteorite.

Most of the time, meteorites break into fragments heading towards the Earth. The meteorite that hit south Texas broke at a distance of 21 miles. The pieces, in diameter, were about two feet, as estimated by NASA.

Meteorites are called “shooting stars” or “fireballs” because of the way they appear in the sky. Any space rocks that are 82 feet, or smaller, tend to burn up before hitting the ground. Those rocks won’t cause destruction to the earth. Animated meteorites you would see online or in videos look like fireballs. Which is actually true, but some people might think it’s fake because of all the other animated versions of things. Like carrots in Looney Tunes, they look appetizing, but in real life that isn’t the case.

Fun fact: 100 tons of dust, and more, are estimated to arrive to the earth from space every day. A meteor the size of a football field hits the Earth almost every 2,000 years, causing major damage.

For more information, please visit:

• https://nypost.com/2023/02/20/nasa-confirms-half-ton-meteor-crashed-in-south-texas

By: Mae Skold

Shoebills are human sized birds native to Africa. They can have up to a 7 foot wingspan and be up to 4 feet tall but their most distinctive feature would have to be their beak that can grow up to a foot long. The call, this bird’s beak, allows them to make is what considers them the most menacing bird of all.

The machine gun-like sound these birds emit terrorizes those who come across them in their native land of central Africa. They can often be sighted on the riverbanks of the Congo River hunting for fish. This complicates fisherman’s lives as the birds are very territorial. Locals warn people about their aggressive tendencies and advise that when hearing their bill-clattering sound to leave the area.

When spotted, they are known to look almost statue-like. If approached too intimately their statue-like character will break and they lunge with the beak. Because they have such long legs and beaks, their lunge is very powerful and people can be reached from farther away than you may think. Because of this, shoebills are responsible for 2-3 human deaths every year.

When left alone, these birds lead a normal life on the riverbanks of Africa. They feed on catfish and lungfish which are mainly fed to the young.

Laying season is in the spring, so after laying 2-3 eggs, the parent’s babies can be independent by the following fall. It takes the babies about 3 years to reproduce and continue the cycle of life.

Though shoebills can be a menace to their native African communities, when left alone they are a thriving species that contribute to the native wildlife of Central Africa. As long as their habitat is undisturbed, shoebills and humans can live in harmony.

For more information, please visit:

• “Shoebill Stork.” biologydictionary.net/shoebill-stork/

By: Trump Vang

For astronomers world-wide, 2022 was a blastful year for its space launches. Within this year, there were a multitude of accomplishments and achievements reached.

Throughout 2022, 180 rockets were properly launched, with SpaceX leading most of them. There were 7 launch failures, but it’s clear to see the success within these launches, with the fact that 180 is the most ever within human history.

There were also a few highlights during the year, showing the potential of our technology within the environment of space.

Firstly, the mission of Artemis 1 launched on November 16th, 2022. Its mission was to prepare to create a safe environment for future crewed missions to the moon and Mars. These places, as of now, still hold many unknown dangers to us. At the end of this mission, it would successfully set up the premises for a human crew for another space launch.

Along with the Artemis mission, China was able to complete its very own space station, called the “Tiangong space station”. As of right now, this is the second fully crewed space station, creating new opportunities with the new build. Just like the other space station (ISS), this station strives for the same goals of experiments and research on life within space. With a whole new space station, the opportunities seem almost endless.

As space launches become more prominent in these upcoming years, it’s important to see what’s up next on the launch board.

With views of Mars becoming our next home, researchers have had their eyes on this planet. Recently, they’ve announced the production of a small robot by the name of Moxie. Its purpose is to generate breathable oxygen for the foreseeable future within Mars. This idea, although still floating, has been tested, giving an eventual launch date somewhere in the 2030’s.

Throughout the decades of space exploration, technology has developed way past what we had before. Looking at the first space launch ever, Sputnik 1, it’s clear to see the improvements within our goals and technology. As we continue, it will keep on improving, adding and developing our knowledge on the vastness of space. We are just a step in this process, but it’s necessary to further space exploration and its many future launches.

For more information, please visit:

• https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/dec/31/space-exploration-key-events-2022-nasa?scrlybrkr=85 102a4b

By: Maya Breininger

As children grow up, they are accustomed to a variety of animals that are represented in everyday occurrences. In children’s books – the cow goes moo, the horse goes neigh, and rhinos go…extinct? Unfortunately, yes, commonly known animal species such as rhinos, whales, leopards and gorillas are all on their way to extinction. Try and write that in a children’s book. 

Javan Rhinos, a species of rhino found in South-East Asia, are close to inevitable extinction due to diseases, natural disasters, pollution, inbreeding, and an imbalance with the food chain. Around 70 Javan Rhinos remain, and they are contained in the country of Indonesia.

This horned mammal is not the only one on its way out, as the African Forest Elephant is extremely endangered, seeing as their population has decreased around 86% over the past 30 years. It’s heartbreaking to think that these big playful animals are close to being non-existent, especially considering the familiarity we had with them while growing up.

The epidemic of extinction doesn’t only affect those on land, it also ventures to the seas where it claims its next victim, the North Atlantic Right Whale. There are fewer than 340 of these whales left, directly due to being hunted by humans, and destroyed by pollution. Their name even comes from the way they float “up-right” when killed. Another tragic movement where animals around us are executed in mass genocides for amusement. 

The wrath of humans has also extended to our cousin-like primates, the Eastern and Western Lowland Gorillas. They are close to extinction due to extreme levels of disease, excessive hunting of rare animals, and disruption with their natural habitats. Gorillas are aggressive and territorial creatures that were never meant to cross with humans, along with the other animals on this list. Their extinction is a result of humans, interfering with the food chain, encroaching toxic waste and polluting the environment, hunting animals for pure amusement, and so much more. 

The animal I’ve chosen to wrap up our list is the Malayan Tiger, with only 120 individuals left in the wild, and the species predicted to be extinct within the next decade. It is one of the six subspecies of tigers, and they live in southern Thailand. These beautiful creatures in nature are close to dying off, again as a result of humans. 

One thing to keep in mind when reading this list is that the earth changes; it moves and evolves along with its inhabitants. However, humans are the only species that have physically changed the earth to meet their environmental needs, unlike animals who evolve to fit within their environment. 

This also proves that far after humans have gone extinct, the earth will be just fine. Humans are the one running themselves and others around them to extinction. For more information on how you can help, check out the sources below. 

• https://sentientmedia.org/animals-that-are-going-extinct/
• https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/directory?sort=extinction_status&direction=desc

By: Reed Morris

Once again, we find ourselves revisiting an old topic. Much like my James Webb articles, this covers space exploration. The difference between the two is the successfulness. 

The Artemis Program is NASA’s newest project, hoping to get humans back on the moon. Conceived in 2010, the Artemis Program had a lot of support and dreamers behind it. It was initially scheduled for its first test flight in 2017, but here we are in 2022 with still no launch. The failures of Artemis and its SLS launch system have created an environment of high costs, short budgets, and many sad space fans like me. 

Where we run into problems

There are multiple issues with NASA’s current dream for lunar inhabitants. First off, we’ll have to cover the issues that are seen on paper. The rocket is NOT cheap. The SLS is a new launch system that is supposed to be able to carry the crew and supplies needed to start a lunar surface base, and a lunar orbital station. While it IS capable of such feats, flying it comes at a sizable cost. It runs off of several RS-25 rocket engines, which cost nearly 150 million dollars to make, for a SINGLE USE engine, in a time when private companies have cheaper multi-use engines. While the SLS is one of the heaviest lifting rockets in existence, its 4.1 billion dollar-per-launch price tag is something that cannot be ignored. 

The second and more severe problem is that Artemis 1 has been delayed over and over again due to malfunctions in the SLS’s overpriced engines. On August 29th, 2022, the Artemis 1 launch was supposed to take place. Before it was sent into space, leaks sprung up in the hydrogen fuel lines. Additionally, sensores stated that one of the four main engines was not cold enough to support fuel injection for launch. These problems were non-ignorable, delaying the launch for another week. When the problem was deemed fixed, it was set to launch once again on September 3rd. Surprise, surprise, it never left the launch pad. 

Similarly to the first failed launch, a hydrogen leak occurred, but this time it was much larger and much more dangerous. Cold liquid hydrogen is relatively stable, but when liquid hydrogen begins to mix with warm Florida air, it becomes gaseous, and VERY dangerous. This explosive hazard was deemed non-ignorable once again and the launch was postponed “to a later date”. 

That “later date” has been announced! Just recently, NASA announced that the new launch date for Artemis 1 is November 14th, 2022.

Hope for the future

While the Artemis program is over budget, riddled with problems, and yet to actually start, there is still hope. After dumping more than 23 billion dollars into a project, there is little chance that NASA will scrap the project. Even if there are more issues on the 14th, there will always be hope for future endeavors.

This can’t be promised, and can’t be stated as a fact, but I will anyway. Man will make it back to the moon whether it’s in the next several years, or the next several decades, the younger generations WILL see humans return to the moon. 

By: Addison Strack

Ocean pollution is a major problem that is greatly affecting the world’s oceans, and this article will give information about how to prevent the issue.

There are two main types of ocean pollution that damage ecosystems in the ocean, and are harmful to the health of organisms in the ocean.

The first type of pollution is called chemical pollution. Chemical pollution is a result of runoff from the use of fertilizer and pesticides on farms, sewage, and more. An increased use of nitrogen and phosphorus in chemicals that end up in the ocean have promoted the growth of algal blooms, which can be toxic to wildlife and humans. These chemicals are also very harmful to ecosystems in the ocean.

The second type of pollution is trash pollution. The main type of trash that ends up in oceans is plastic items, such as shopping bags, beverage bottles and caps, food wrappers, and more. Plastics are the main type of trash pollution in the ocean, because plastic can take 100s of years to decompose, resulting in buildup of these items in the ocean.

Trash pollution is very dangerous to marine life, because they can get tangled in, and digest the trash. When small organisms eat micro plastics, which are very small pieces of plastics, they absorb the chemicals from the plastics into their tissues. When larger organisms consume these smaller organisms, the toxic chemicals then become a part of their tissues. Eventually, micro plastics will then reach part of the food that humans eat.

If we don’t do anything about ocean pollution, there will be multiple negative impacts. One of the most notable impacts would be that if ocean pollution continues, it will accelerate climate change. Mangroves, reefs, and other underwater ecosystems store large amounts of carbon, and because of this, the ocean contains the most amount of carbon in the world. Pollution can destroy these ecosystems, resulting in the carbon being released into the atmosphere, which contributes to climate change.

Ocean pollution also puts marine life in danger, and can lead to extinction and endangerment of underwater species.

There are multiple things that you can do to help prevent and reduce ocean pollution.

Reducing your waste is a major change that you can make in your everyday life, to help prevent ocean pollution. Avoiding singles use plastics, such as plastic bags, plastic bottles, plastic straws, and more will help to reduce the amount of waste ending up in landfills, which could eventually make their way into the ocean.

Respecting the ocean is another thing that you can do. You can do this by fishing responsibly, making sure you don’t litter, and following rules when you are on the water.

Volunteering for beach and ocean cleanups in your community also helps immensely. You could participate in international events as well, such as Global Ocean Cleanup or The International Coastal Cleanup.

As seen above, protecting the world’s oceans is critical if we want to do anything to avoid worsening climate change, and ensure that the ocean will be accessible for generations to come.

If you would like to read more about ocean pollution and cleanups, feel free to visit the websites below:

• https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/marine-pollution
• https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-insights/perspectives/what-happens-if-we-dont-pro tect-the-high-seas/
• https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/ocean/help-our-ocean.html
• https://www.oceanicsociety.org/resources/7-ways-to-reduce-ocean-plastic-pollution-today/