As the school year moves on, countless Dana Hall faculty and students continue to worry about friends and relatives impacted by the past major hurricanes. Electricity is cut off, supplies have no way of getting to the people who need it, and it’s all due to the sheer intensity of this current hurricane season.

This chaotic weather is just another side effect of the earth’s temperatures continually rising. Dr. Doll, head of the science department at Dana Hall, tells us, “You can’t say any one particular storm is due to climate change.. but increased temperatures in the oceans would lead to greater hurricanes.” Basically, as we know, climate change causes the earth to warm, and the more temperatures rise on earth, the more temperatures rise in sea waters. The danger with a warmer climate is, as Dr. Doll said, “severe weather becomes more common in a hotter environment.” From Harvey to Irma, to Katia and Maria, hurricanes are forming in waters that have reached record high temperatures, and future hurricanes like them will continue to worsen as temperatures continue to rise.

As climate change grows more and more prominent in our lives, it all really comes down to one thing: what can we do? What can any individual at this school, state, country and world, really do to make a difference? Once again, we turn to Dr. Doll, “[we can] all [take] little steps, like paying attention to recycling, and walking when possible.” We have the option to bring change, every single one of us. We can bike or walk to try and reduce our own carbon footprints, and pay attention to the little things; because those little things can and do build up. If we want to see a difference in our climate and weather, we have to put forth the effort to make a difference ourselves.