One of the most pressing issues facing today’s society is climate change. Melting icecaps, mass migration and rising sea levels are problems that cannot be pushed aside. The Wolf staff asked Sara Childers, an environmental science teacher here at Tualatin High School, what she thinks about this increasingly important issue.

“I’m concerned that we aren’t coming together,” she said. “This is worrying since the countries that historically contribute the most towards climate change are ignoring it. The problems that climate change is causing, such as a reduction in food sources, forced migrations, and famine, are not as prevalent in these countries that lead in greenhouse gas emission.”

Seeing how dangerous and dire this situation is, The Wolf asked Childers what she does to help combat climate change, as well as what we can do to help.

“Personally, my family takes it really seriously to carpool whenever we can,” Childers said. “But I think my greatest contribution towards fighting climate change is through teaching. By educating so many children, I feel like I’m helping them make more environment-conscious decisions. Teaching ESS has also helped impact my view. It lets me consider more than just one solution to our problem. What would work for Oregon won’t necessarily be the best plan of action for a different place in the world.”

Lastly, Childers had a little bit of advice for our students.

“We’re very lucky to live where we do, as we can get most of our energy from hydroelectric sources,” she said. “Due to this, I think the most climate conscious choices we can make would be to work on changing dietary habits and try to ride public transport more. Making better use of public transport is really environmentally friendly.”