Alex had chosen to spend his vacation to the North Pole. He had an image in mind of a world of hard ice and infinite snow and wanted to visit to see this image for himself.

However, upon his arrival, he could barely believe his eyes.

The ice was so fragile and thin and he watched as the ice broke and dropped into the sea. There were many water pools throughout the ground and the air was incredibly warm for so close to the North Pole.

He looked at what surrounded him and a thought occurred to him: why was the ice melting so quickly and why was it so warm in the arctic? He then recalled a speech given by Greta Thunberg in 2019 that declared that human activity had made the world warmer, and then it all fell into place-it was global warming at its most apparent.

A great sense of worry overwhelmed him, and as he looked at the melting ice, he asked, "Why are temperatures rising and what is there that can actually be done about it?"

He saw that in order to help solve this problem, it required effort from everybody; he realized that the world had to stop using oil and coal to make electricity and switch to solar or wind power. People needed to consume less electricity and use cleaner transport—such as walking, cycling, or traveling by bus instead. Forests and the sea have to be preserved and used to absorb the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. People must demand from politicians that strong laws to protect the environment are established.

Alex's holiday really made him think. He returned home resolved to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle and promote Greta's views, knowing that any contribution would help save the world.

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Aaron Chen