Many thanks
to all participants for submitting their photos and sharing their climate change stories!
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Mariètou Fall, 18 years
St-Louis, SenegalMarietu is a student at the Cheikh Omar Foutiyou Tall High School.
She won the first prize in the General English Club Contest at her school.
A large part of the energy that we use, produces greenhouse gas. We emit these gases while driving vehicles, heating or air-conditioning homes, washing and drying clothes and by using other devices that are operated by fossil fuels. The changes in our environment affect air, light and water. As a result of the growth in the consumption of energy, the development of mining, metallurgical and chemical activities, road and air traffic and household and industrial waste air pollution has become a severe problem in areas of intense activity or in an urban environment. The night skies are also affected. Light pollution is a factor wherever there is so much artificial lighting that it has a damaging effect on what we have come to know and appreciate as the ‘normal' darkness of night-time.
We make the observation that in many developing countries, waste water poured into the seas is raw sewage, i.e. waste that has not been treated. Pollution linked to a rampant increase in population in coastal areas and to inadequate sanitation and waste treatment infrastructures constitutes a threat to public health. Air pollution causes an increase in respiratory illnesses, the depletion of ecosystems as well as changes to climatic systems on many levels. Atmospheric pollution can cause asthma or other respiratory diseases, heart attacks, cerebrovascular diseases and other cardiovascular diseases or even cancer. In order to reduce these effects, we should buy fuel-efficient cars and maintain them in a good condition, use as little paper as possible as well as eco-energetic lighting products such as compact fluorescent lamps.
The effects of climate change on human health can be reduced by adopting precautionary measures, improving people's knowledge and by setting up monitoring and alarm systems. Public awareness also plays an important role.
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