Carbon monoxide is an invisible gas, and it’s poisonous, so we put ear-splitting alarms
in houses to warn us of its dangerous presence. Carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide
are also invisible gases, but without un-ignorable alarms in place, they’ve been allowed to
cause rapid and dangerous changes to the climate, oceans and ecosystems on earth. Here’s what
that looks like for us, the MinuteEarth team, where we live around the world.
I’m Henry, and in the dry Rocky Mountains, drought and wildfires are becoming more frequent
and dangerous, so we’re spending far more resources to protect our businesses and homes,
and far more days inside them each summer because the smoke is too thick to safely go
outside.
I'm Kate, and those same droughts in the Rockies mean that less water makes its way down the
Colorado River, causing Lake Mead – which supplies water to me and 20 million other
people, to drop to record low levels.
I'm Ever, and here in Venezuela droughts also threaten the Guri Reservoir – and all the
hydroelectric plants that depend on it, putting more than 60% of our electricity generation
at risk.
I'm Emily, and in New York City, our biggest problem isn't too little water but too much:
right now, we're still recovering from Hurricane Sandy while also trying to fortify the city
against the even fiercer storms and bigger storm surges of the future.
I’m Omkar, and storms are also becoming more of a problem in Mumbai, India, with larger
surges from the ocean and more intense rainfall on the land, like the record-breaking meter
of rain that fell in 24 hours in 2005, destroying homes and killing more than 1,000 people.
I’m Alex, and here in Cambodia, increasingly unpredictable monsoons threaten the livelihoods
of the rice farmers and fishers who make up half the population. This year the rains were
late, which damaged young plants and lowered the productivity of the rivers, contributing
to a 50% smaller catch than last year.
I’m Peter, and in Minnesota, warmer weather means less snow and ice for our winter sports
and tourism and threatens the survival of our northern forests and many of their creatures.
Some of these experiences might sound familiar to you, or perhaps you have your own story
about what climate change looks like where you live. The question is: how big will we
let those impacts become?
If we’re going to act, we have to act now, to keep the effects of climate change as small
as possible : so share your perspective with your political representatives, favorite businesses,
family and friends, and get them involved. Since these gases are invisible, we need to
make ourselves as visible as possible so the leaders of Earth can see that we, its citizens,
want our nations to agree to a legally binding limit on greenhouse gas emissions. To make
that easier, we put links in the video description to help you find your representative's contact
information. And at the very least, you can add your name to The Mega Climate Petition
for a 100% Clean World.
We made this video as part of the #OursToLose campaign – please share your own climate
stories with the #OursToLose hashtag. Let’s raise the alarm about these invisible gases!