What you need to know
The Smoke From 2020
Moonee Valley Climate Stories Competition Winner
Category: Primary School (up to 12 years of age)
Hello, my name is Luke Lovell, and I want to share with you my climate change experience.
I experienced climate change at the start of January, 2020 in Canberra. It was a warm day that day, warmer than any other mid-summer weather. My mother and father decided to go to the movies that day. My brother, Beau, and I were very excited to go to the movies to see Star Wars. Walking into the movies was fine, since it was a couple of blocks away from where we were staying. Everything was fine that sunny day, until we walked out of the movies.
Smoke. All there was, was smoke. The dark reddish, grey filled the air, with our hands covering our mouths from the smoky air. We did this because we knew that if it went into our lungs, or our eyes, it would damage them. We made our way down the smoky streets, trying to get home as fast as possible. The smoke was not just the problem. It was the wind, and the knowing that it was from the fires. Our hands were sweating, not from the heat, but from the distress we were all experiencing.
It felt like my heart was beating one hundred times per second, and the heat was growing. At one point we could only see the dark thick smoke. The smoke was everywhere, and we could barely see each other. We could only see about a couple of metres in front of us, and about the same distance that everyone else could see. We were all afraid of this change in the weather. We knew that smoke came from fires, but lots of smoke made people think, is there a fire close?
My family and I were lucky since we were staying only a few blocks down. We were lucky that day, but somewhere close, people will have lost their homes, and it sure was a day to remember.
Image credit: Allhomes
Climate Change, or Global Warming, is a big problem in our world. It is affecting our beautiful nature. Habitats are being destroyed, and it is all because of us, humans. Icebergs are melting, animals are dying, and it is from us! Let’s stop this change, and help our nature! Lands are becoming dry, and of course fires and smoke, like what I experienced. But we can all do our best to stop this warming of the earth. Right now it’s great to see my local council is doing their best to stop this climate change.
Image by Yale Climate Connections
Winning story and images by Luke Lovell – Our Lady of the Nativity Primary School, Aberfeldie
