Simona Vasileva, “Lyudmil Stoyanov” Language School, Blagoevgrad, 10th grade
The first thing that comes to mind when we talk about global issues is climate change. According to The United Nations climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. The most popular example of climate change is global warming. It is constantly rising in temperature that leads to warmer weather. Research shows that since 1850 human activities have been the main driver of global warming, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil, gas and increased pollution. These fossil fuels cause greenhouse gasses in Earth’s atmosphere which have the ability to warm it. The World Meteorological Organization made a conclusion about the last decade (2011-2020), which was the warmest on record. It’s also important to notice that each of the last four decades has been warmer than any previous decade since 1850. However, temperature rise is only the beginning of the story because our planet is a system, where everything is connected. If there are changes in one area, there will be a result in all others. The consequences of climate change now include intense droughts, water scarcity, severe fires, rising sea levels, flooding, melting polar ice, etc.
Global heating has a bad impact on Blagoevgrad. Every summer is getting warmer and as a result of this, many people suffer from sunstroke and dehydration. High temperatures affect older people, aged 60-90, who are sensitive to climate changes because of their age or illnesses. The municipality of Blagoevgrad tries to help people by giving them free water in order to deal with the dehydration problem. The mayor of the town also tells them to stay home in the afternoon, when the temperatures are higher. Blagoevgrad has another big problem and that is pollution. According to BNT1, Blagoevgrad is one of the most polluted towns in Bulgaria. The first reason for this is heating with solid fuels, which is a common choice of the population. The Hydrometeorological observatory of Blagoevgrad made a conclusion that the last two months of 2023 – November and December, had the highest levels of polluted air. The most polluted period of the year for Blagoevgrad is winter. The good news is that lately nearly 20% of the population replace the wood stove with air conditioner.
Another reason for the pollution is the waste disposal. Unfortunately, there is garbage in parks, in school yards and even at the city center. People throw their rubbish all over the place, without thinking about nature and the bad effect on humanity. The Municipality of Blagoevgrad is trying to deal with this problem by placing many recycling bins everywhere throughout the city.
Children can be seriously affected by the polluted atmosphere. At many schools in Blagoevgrad teachers have discussions about environmental protection, and they give students creative projects on the same topic. Science is the subject that shows children the wonders of nature and tries to make them love it and protect it. That’s why there are national scientific projects that financially support subjects like Biology, Chemistry and Physics, in order for modern science laboratories to be created.
Citizens of Blagoevgrad could try to protect the environment by recycling the rubbish, volunteer in the campaign “Let’s Clean Bulgaria Together” every September, recycle old clothes and teach younger kids how important nature is.
According to bTV Media Group – organisers of “Let’s Clean Bulgaria Together”, every year the campaign unites institutions, non-governmental and business organisations and volunteers in the name of the cause of a cleaner environment. The initiative is part of the “World Cleanup Day”, organised by Let’s Do It World and it takes place in September.
The campaign “Let’s Clean Bulgaria Together” is supported by journalists from bTV, the Minister of Environment and Waters, the Mayor of Sofia, etc.
“Be the change that you wish to see in the world” is a famous quote by the Indian social activist Mahatma Gandhi that inspires us to start doing something if we want to live in a better world. Every small action like recycling your garbage every day or not using your car very often can be helpful for the environment. We are responsible for our future and we should care more about nature because it is our home. If we don’t protect it, it will have a bad impact on our health and life. So, let’s face the truth and become more responsible for our actions in order to create the world we all dream of living in.
