I'm doing my last year at Mario Rigoni Stern.

I choose this school because I love animals in particular I  really like cows and my dream is work with they in my farm.

In addition, the most industrialized countries have impacted a lot on the consumption of natural resources and the planet has started to regenerate less resources because we all have depleted the natural capital of the earth.

Also, the population overgrowth requires the construction of more buildings and so less land for agriculture and wildlife causing other environmental issues.

This photograph shows how urgent the problem has become especially in developing countries such as Taipei in Taiwan.

In this video you can see the effect of the fire on animals. it is a very touching video with very strong images:

https://youtu.be/hSJEVKqTnKo
This is one of the many videos about the terrible fire:

These fires have devastated parts of southeastern Australia; in particular, the federated states most affected were Victoria and New South Wales. It burned about 16.8 million hectares, destroying more than 5 900 buildings and killing at least 33 people, also causing the deaths of more than 1 billion animals. Australian police, in early January 2020, arrested 183 people responsible for over 200 forest fire-related crimes, including 40 minors.

This is one of the many images of the fire and the damage it caused:

Deforestation occurs when a forested area is cut and cleared to make way for agricultural crops or pasture.

Four commodities are responsible for tropical deforestation:

If people adopt sustainable farming practices or employ new farming technologies and crops, the need for more land might decrease.

In 2012 the United Nations General Assembly has created the International Day of Forests that is on March 21, this day aims to raise public awareness of the benefits that forests provide to society.

The theme of this year's International Day of Forests was:

"Forests and biodiversity - too precious to lose"

The problem I’m going to talk about is an endangered species: the sea turtle

Known as Caretta caretta, the common sea turtle is highly endangered. 

The cause, unfortunately, is the human being. 

How do human activities affect the lives of these animals?

They create their nest in the eastern part of the Mediterranean, in countries such as Italy, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus or Libya. These areas very popular with tourists and unsustainable tourism affects their reproduction

They are affected by overbuilding and destruction of the natural habitat

These animals are also victims of intensive fishing. Every year, according to the WWF, there are about 150,000 sea turtles captured by fishermen, among these the number of victims reaches 40,000.

 The other animal is The Sumatran tiger, lives in Indonesia, in Sumatra and has been decimated to such an extent over the past decades that it has been included in the list of endangered animals. There are less than 600 specimens still present on the island where they lived peacefully for thousands and thousands of years before man did not come to kill them. Now practically all of them live in parks and protected areas, but the continuing destruction of the natural habitat of these fascinating tigers is condemning them to disappear.

the jaguar is the largest American feline. The jaguar once populated a vast area that started from the south of the United States and reached South America, today unfortunately, given the continuous invasions of man, it is forced to live in the dense Amazonian forests, in Argentina, where they are only 200 specimens left, or in the Atlantic forest, where the number rises to 250.

all these endangered animals make us understand that we must cut ourselves off, we must cut all this pollution we must try to safeguard the habitat of these animals and safeguard them.

it is as if we were removed from our habitat we would not be happy and above all we would not survive so that's why we can still have our habitat clean and they can't?

I like nature so much, in fact I often go to walk with my dad to the mountains. 

One of my greatest passions is football, and my favourite team is Atalanta. 

Before this pandemic, I used to go to the stadium every time my team played.

Now that I'm at home, I play everyday with my dog called Perla! I love her, along with all animals in general. 

 The white of ice reflects excess heat back into space and keeps the planet cooler.

 According to an article I’ve read on National Geographic, I-ice is changing everywhere on Earth. 

On Kilimanjaro ice melted by more than 80% since 1912. 

Glaciers in India's Garhwal Himalaya are retreating so fast that researchers believe most glaciers could disappear by 2035.

 Arctic sea ice extent has decreased by about 10% over the past 30 years. 

Readings from NASA's laser altimeter show that the Greenland ice cap is shrinking. 

In the Northern Hemisphere, freshwater spring ice breaking occurs nine days earlier than it was 150 years ago and autumn freezing ten days later. 

In Alaska, thawing of permafrost has caused land to sag by 4.6 meters in some areas of Alaska.

 Huge immense glaciers and sea ice around the world are rapidly disappearing and many animal species are at risk of extinction.

The carnivorous bears live by hunting seals in the Arctic Ocean, but as more and more ice melts in that region, their habitat continues to shrink. Since ammounts began to be measured at the end of 1970s sea ice that lasts for more than a year in the Arctic has decreased at a rate of 13%  per decade.

The study shows that there will be no survival of the pups because the females will not have enough body fat to produce milk to carry them through the ice-free season. Each of us know that we can't go without food for that long. This is a biological reality for all species.

The study estimated that, even in a situation where countries achieve a moderate reduction in greenhouse gases, several population of polar bears will disappear. But Amstrup emphasized that the animal can still persist if climate change doesn't continue unabated.

Showing just how imminent the threat to different polar bear populations is another reminder that we must act now to avoid the worst of future problems facing us all. The trajectory we are on now isn't good, but if society comes together, we have time to save polar bears. And if we do, we can benefit from the rest of life on Earth, including ourself.

Ice covers about 10% of the land and acts like a protection over the Earth and the oceans. The white of ice reflects excess heat back into space and keeps the planet cooler.

Glacial melt in Antarctica and Greenland influences ocean currents: massive amounts of cold water, melted ice, entering warmer ocean waters and slowing them.

If all the ice of the Greenland ice cap melted, it would raise global sea levels by 20 feet. Melting glaciers also increase coastal erosion and elevates storm surge create more frequent and intense coastal storms (hurricanes and typhoons).

The threats of the loss of marine, terrestrial, animal and plant biodiversity are:

I believe in the right of nature and all its living organisms to exist, but the humans are causing pain, suffering and death of animal species, and I am really worried about the extinction of various marine and terrestrial species.

We must limiting wasting and consumption of CO2

An extinction problem that we have dealt with is that of the loss of bees, due to the irresponsible use of pesticides in agriculture; scientists claim that pesticides might lead to “impairment of honey bee neurological function, specifically memory, cognition or behaviour”.

I am very worried about deforestation because it is a very big problem for the planet and humans. It causes the destruction of habitats and ecosystems,  loss of many species ,  increase of carbon dioxide and  increase of local and global temperatures. Another consequence of deforestation is climate change.

why do we destroy the forests?

we destroy forests mainly: 

In this video we find causes, effects and solutions of deforestation:           https://youtu.be/-01T9e6VDWU

The ibex is undoubtedly one of the symbolic species of the Alps, and today there are only 53 colonies that are at risk due to climate change.

According to a research by the University of Sassari, the species is suffering greatly because of warming. temperatures becoming increasingly warmer in the Alps. 

The alpine ibex is an animal that adapts very well to cold climates while in hot climates it suffers a lot because it has a thick layer of fat to withstand low temperatures.

One of the causes of the decline of this species due to overheating is the decrease of fresh grass in the high mountain pastures, which is essential for the females during the weaning period.

It is estimated that half of these habitats will disappear by 2100.

I chose this theme because let's say it is something that I have personally noticed, I really like going to the mountains and watching animals, and in recent years I have noticed a decrease in ibex. in the area where I live. I think it's a terrible thing, the mountain is so beautiful and fascinating thanks to these animals and I think that if this animal disappears in tens of years, the mountain will lose some of its charm.

In this picture you can see a deaf honey bee.

Pesticides play a key role in killing the honey bee population because they lead to the impairment neurological functions of bees, specifically memory, cognition and behaviour.

Bees are too important because their pollination maintains global food supplies so if they disappeared it would be a big problem.

I love bees, I think they are interesting and complex animals. In the future I will raise about one or two hives, but raising bees requires a lot of knowledge and experience, so I would do some experience with other farmers before I start.  

The main cause are: 

See glaciers melt before your eyes 

 

On weekend I work with my parents and I deliver pizzas at home. 

Most of our planet is recovered in water, we depend on the oceans to maintain our rainwater systems and many populations rely on it for food and income, oceans also absorb CO2 and produce more than 50% of the oxygen we breathe.

But the oceans are under threat! 

Overfishing is causing the endangerment and extinction of many marine species, global warming has caused an increase in coral bleaching, where reefs lose vital nutrients and can’t sustain the ecosystems that depend on them.
Pollutants like pesticides, fertilizer, manure, boat fuel and plastic cause dead zone and plastic island where no organism can live. Rivers are a major source of plastic waste in the oceans, in fact, around the world, 0,8 to 2,7 million tons of waste are thrown into rivers every year.
This is the virtual map of rivers plastic emissions to the world’s oceans.

The type of water pollution can be of a chemical, physical or microbiological nature and the
consequences can compromise the health of the flora and fauna involved, including humans,
damaging the ecosystem and water reserves for food use.

To have a better world to live in, and respect nature we must work to reduce water pollution.
together we can make a difference!

I’m worried about the desertification. I linked a video below about the desertification problem.

 

As the video says, desertification means degradation of lands and vegetation, soil erosion and the loss of topsoil and fertile land in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas, caused primarily by human activities and climate change. Desertification is also the transformation of some areas into deserts due to prolonged drought.

This process is irreversible and is a problem that affects all continents.

The two main cause are:

Humanl activities that cause this problem with the deforestation, intensive agricolture, urbanization, pollution and fires.

Enviromental cause like global warming, prolonged drought and the erosion of soil caused by erratic weather.

Il 69% of the world's fresh water is in the form of ice in glaciers and polar ice caps. Since the second half of the 1900s, the share of glaciers lost each year has been growing at an ever-increasing rate. According to some surveys conducted by NASA, 300 billion tons of ice disappear every year near the North Pole, while about 130 billion at the South Pole. Plus there are 35 billion for year due to the disappearance of many mountain glaciers. Data continuously deteriorating.

Are the causes of this phenomenon?

1.       Production of CO2 from human activities, such as transport, industrial realities and livestock;

2.       Deforestation of the world's green lungs;

3.       Exploitation of fossil fuels for the energy sector

4.       Progressive global warming

The consequences will be:

1.       The rise in sea levels, which will lead to the submersion of cities such as Venice and Miami.

2.       Climatic upheavals that would lead to an increase in tornadoes and hurricanes and to the desertification of areas close to the equator.

3.       Loss of biodiversity due to the migration of some species and the consequent variation of the food chain for all the other species. 

 

 

I’m worried about the enlargement of the zono hole .

The ozone layer absorbs almost all harmful ultraviolet radiation, in particular those called UV-B at 95% and totally UV-C, but leaves almost entirely UVA (UV-A) rays, or those that cause the most damage to the epidermis. So, if the layer shrinks, it increases the amount of radiation that reaches the Earth's surface. This radiation, in minimal quantities, is not harmful, indeed it is useful: for example, it is important in our formation of vitamin D. At higher doses, however, these ultraviolet rays have deleterious effects on the whole life of microorganisms, animals, plants, even plastics suffer from their effects.  In particular, in humans prolonged exposures to ultraviolet radiation are associated with:

 

eye damage: snow blindness, cancer and cataracts; 

alterations of the immune system;

skin cancers, melanomas, carcinomas (and associated mortality; the higher the exposure, the greater the severity of the disease, especially in children)

acceleration of photoaging(skin aging);

Animals are also subject to similar damage: carcinomas associated with environmental sun exposure have been found in horses, cats, dogs, goats, sheep and livestock in general.

So yeah, I’m soon 16 years old girl from Finland. I like it here, but it’s always so cold. I go to Kotka Lyseo’s high school and imo (in my opinion) it’s pretty cool school. I’m first grader in this high school. I live in with my mom, stepdad, cat and dog. My mom lives in a big town house. Sometimes I live also at dad’s which lives in a big penthouse. My big brother lives far away from Kotka so I don’t see him very often. And about my personality.. Oh god.. I'm maybe too goofy sometimes lol. Usually I’m the friendgroup’s “fun” friend.. So my sense of humor is kinda peculiar. I love to meet new people and I always try to be positive and kind.

We can:

My name is Miita and I’m sixteen years old. I’m also a first-grader in Kotka’s Lyseo. In my free time I like to spend time with my friends. This project sounds very interesting and I’m interested in meeting you guys.