“ Save the Earth, save ourselves” . Hi, my name is.

I come from Bac Kan secondary

school. Nowadays, the environment is a serious issue. So today I am going to share my
views on disaster prevention and climate change adaptation.
Recently, it can be seen that natural disasters and extreme weather have raged and
devastated many countries around the world, including VietNam, claiming the lives of many
people. Forest fires, floods, elnino effects, ... causing record heat and heavy rain in Vietnam
recently are manifestations of climate change.
Climate change reflects long-term changes in temperature and weather phenomena.
These changes are natural, but since the 1800s, human impact has been the main cause of
climate change.
So what are the causes of climate change? The first one is generating power, generating
electricity and heat by burning fossil fuels. It causes a large chunk of global emissions. Most
electricity is still generated by burning coal, oil, or gas, which produces carbon dioxide,
methane and nitrous oxide – powerful greenhouse gases that blanket the Earth and trap the
sun’s heat. Secondly, manufacturing goods and industrial sectors are also one of the causes
of climate change. They produce emissions, mostly from burning fossil fuels to produce
energy for making things like cement, iron, steel, electronics, plastics, clothes, and other
goods. Mining and other industrial processes also release gases, as does the construction
industry. Machines used in the manufacturing process often run on coal, oil, or gas; and
some materials, like plastics, are made from chemicals sourced from fossil fuels. The
manufacturing industry is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions
worldwide. In addition, construction of artificial structures that block the flow such as
hydroelectric dams leads to the amount of surface water not being evenly distributed
according to natural laws, causing dryness in downstream areas. Another reason is
deforestation. Cutting down forests to create farms or pastures, or for other reasons, causes
emissions, as trees when cut release the carbon they are storing. About 12 million hectares of
forest are destroyed every year. Because forests absorb carbon dioxide, destroying them also
limits nature's ability to block emissions into the atmosphere. Deforestation, along with
agriculture and other land-use changes, is responsible for about a quarter of global
greenhouse gas emissions. Besides, the emissions of vehicles participating in traffic increase
the amount of carbon dioxide in the air, affecting human health. The last one is powering the
buildings. Globally, residential and commercial buildings consume over half of all
electricity. As they continue to draw on coal, oil, and natural gas for heating and cooling,
they emit significant quantities of greenhouse gas emissions. Growing energy demand for
heating and cooling, with rising air-conditioner ownership, as well as increased electricity
consumption for lighting, appliances, and connected devices, has contributed to a rise in
energy-related carbon-dioxide emissions from buildings in recent years.
So what are the negative effects of natural disasters and climate change on our lives?
Nearly all regions of the world are seeing more hot days and more heat waves. 2023 is one of
the hottest years on record. When the Earth's temperature increases, it also causes landslides,
floods, droughts, etc. The damage caused by storms and floods is very heavy; especially in
2020; leaving many dead and missing, many houses collapsed and damaged, economic and
property damage. According to the report of the National Steering Committee for Natural
Disaster Prevention and Control, in 2023, there were 2 storms, affecting Quang Ninh, Hai
Phong and Thai Binh provinces. In addition, the el nino effect causes the temperature to
increase, which puts some places in our country at risk of drought, water shortage, and
saltwater intrusion, such as Quang Nam, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Ninh Thuan, and Binh Thuan
provinces. According to the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
IPCC, the global surface temperature is increasing at an alarming rate. Global surface
temperature in 2023 will be 1.5 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial average. Rapidly
increasing temperatures have caused glaciers to gradually disappear globally since the 1990s
and have reduced the area of ice in the Arctic, which has led to recent sea level rise three
times higher than in 1901-1971, causing many lands to disappear permanently. Higher
temperatures make wildfires easier to start and spread faster. Apart from that, not enough
food is also a bad effect of climate change. Climate change and the increase of extreme
weather events is one of the reasons for the increase in hunger and undernutrition globally.
Seafood, crops and livestock may be destroyed or become less productive. The last one is
poverty and displacement. Climate change increases the factors that cause many people to
fall into poverty. Flooding can wash away urban slums and destroy homes. Weather-related
disasters displace millions of people each year, leaving many people in poverty.
So the question is, what should we do to prevent this? Currently, many countries around
the world are working together to fight natural disasters and climate change. Here are some
solutions for everyone to join hands to protect the environment, prevent natural disasters and
adapt to climate change. First, we should use renewable energy such as solar energy, wind
energy instead of burning fossil fuels. Next , we need to use non-renewable fuels and energy
economically and efficiently. In industrial production, it is necessary to minimize the impact
on the environment, limit emissions and waste, and treat waste before being discharged into
the environment. Besides, we must prevent deforestation, actively plant more trees and green
forests. Apart from that, we should limit the use of private means of transport, increase the
use of public transport In my locality, climate change causes extreme weather phenomena
such as floods, droughts, forest fires, landslides, erosion, biodiversity loss and ecosystem
destruction; threaten people's lives and production. In order to limit the effects of that
phenomenon, people need to raise their awareness and responsibility in environmental
protection and forest protection; local authorities propagate organizations and individuals to
join hands in forest protection and local environmental protection. Before big storms, it is
necessary to check the weather forecast to take timely response measures to limit the impact
of storms such as moving to a higher area, reinforcing and bracing houses, preparing
machinery and equipment. necessary machinery, equipment and materials to be ready for
timely handling when an incident occurs. As a student, you and I can also take action to
protect the environment. And there are so many easy ways you and I can help, such as
planting more trees, reusing plastic items instead of throwing them away; instead of using
fossil fuel-powered means of transport such as cars, trucks, ships, planes, etc., we should use
bicycles or public transport to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and turn off electrical
appliances when not in use, propagate to people in many ways such as handing out leaflets,
drawing pictures. You and I – we can make a difference. We can fight climate change.