Ocean Pollution

By: Marina S.

 

 

Did you know that more than 10 million tons of plastic pollutes the ocean per year? Have  you ever considered how much all of that plastic affects and harms the ocean and the things living in it? Ocean pollution even affects humans! 

The most common thing that pollutes the ocean is plastic. Plastic and styrofoam compromise 90% of the ocean. 100 million marine animals die every year from just the plastic in the ocean, but it doesn’t stop there; 100,000 marine animals die every year from getting entangled in all of the plastic. Did you also know that plastic takes 500-1000 years to decompose in the ocean?

            What is ocean pollution? Ocean pollution is all of the plastic and trash that goes into the ocean. Ocean pollution can be caused by many different things, some as small as tiny microplastics to fishing gear and abandoned vessels. Natural events like storms can cause ocean pollution. After storms the water travels to the ocean, but it takes along the oil in the streets that is caused by cars. Oil spills can last years in the ocean. Ocean mining also causes pollution because when humans drill for substances deep in the ocean it creates harmful sulfide deposits.

How is ocean pollution harmful, and what are its effects on humans and animals? Ocean pollution is very easily mistaken as food by animals, which is then transferred into humans when the animal is being consumed. Consuming all of those toxins can affect the human’s health. One of the many toxins in the ocean is mercury. If mercury is exposed to humans, it can increase heart disease and Dementia. If it is exposed to unborn babies, it damages their brains, reduces their IQ, increases risk of autism, ADHD, and other learning disorders. Ocean pollution affects animals even more. Animals can entangle themselves in the debris and get hurt. Pollution also causes there to be less oxygen in the ocean, and low oxygen can kill the animals.

             Littering and poor waste management also take part in causing ocean pollution. Some ways to prevent ocean pollution are to use less plastic; learning to properly dispose of trash and plastic can also make a big difference. Chemical fertilizers also cause pollution, and using less of them can help make the lives of many humans and animals safer. Fishing  properly could also result in a safer environment for ocean animals.

            We need to stop polluting the ocean. Think about how many human and animal lives are being affected by ocean pollution and how worse it’s going to get in the future if we don’t stop now.

           

           

 

 

Global Warming Effects

    By: Veronica S.     

 

 

Picture this:  you’re a thousand years in the future, but instead of the world looking prosperous, it’s nothing short of a wasteland. Droughts have become commonplace, and devastating wildfires start at the drop of a dime. A surplus of plants and animals you’ve grown to love have all gone extinct, and the world is in shambles. This could very well be our world if we don’t do something about global warming. Sounds familiar, right?   Sure, you hear about global warming and climate change all the time, but a vast majority of people don’t quite understand the scope of how many things will be affected. There are many disastrous consequences of global warming that have already started to occur!

            Natural disasters come in a copious amount of forms, but did you know that there is a direct link between climate change and the rate at which natural disasters occur and how destructive they are? In a study by the Union of Concerned Scientists, they stated that the temperature of the U.S is likely to increase by 10 degrees fahrenheit by the end of the 20th century! In a separate article by Rebecca Lindsey and LuAnn Dahlman, they stated that the average rate of increase per decade since 1981 has been 0.18C/0.32C; that’s more than double the rate of increase since 1880! More droughts and wildfires have started to occur due to the drastic increases in temperature. However, that’s not all; thanks to ice melting all over the world, the water level has already started to increase.

Okay, so things will get hotter and wetter, but what does that have to do with natural disasters?  you might be wondering. Well, ponder no longer, because while this may seem like it has nothing to do with natural disasters, “Human Health” states, “Floods are the second deadliest of all weather-related hazards in the United States, accounting for approximately 98 deaths per year.” Also, the Union of Concerned Scientists states, “Warmer air and oceans are producing more extreme hurricanes, with record-breaking amounts of rain and wind.” Not only this, but that same article also states that due to climate change, major Hurricanes like Hurricane Harvey have gone from occurring every hundred years to every sixteen, and thanks to the rise in sea level they’re more destructive and are wreaking more havoc than ever before!

            Not only are people’s lives in jeopardy due to global warming, but so is the economy. The natural disasters triggered by global warming have already cost billions of dollars. A study conducted by Columbia University stated, “In 2017, Texas’s estimated losses from Hurricane Harvey were $125 billion;” this hasn’t even scratched the surface when it comes to covering the financial peril that numerous amounts of people will be in due to the food shortages that may potentially be triggered by climate change. An article by the Union Of Concerned Scientists states, “Hotter temperatures and droughts will make corn, wheat, and other staple crop supplies less stable, leading to price spikes and food shortages. The roughly 800 million people currently living in extreme poverty will be most affected.”

Climate change will also be a detriment to health on a worldwide scale. Due to global warming, there may be shifts in flowering time, which will lead to more pollen and a much more hazardous time for people with asthma. Climate change could also potentially affect waterborne and foodborne diseases by making them more potent. Mental health will be influenced by climate change as well. Scientists have found that people have higher levels of anxiety and might even get ptsd, which stands for post traumatic stress disorder, after experiencing natural disasters. A study by “Human Health” found that even suicide rates increase with the temperature! Climate change will even affect the health of other living beings, such as plants and animals. In an article by the Union of Concerned Scientists, they declared, “Only a small amount of warming will kill 70 to 90 percent of the world’s coral reefs; up to half of plant and animal species in the world’s most naturally rich areas could face extinction.”

Global warming is not something to be taken lightly, and it’s time for people to start opening their eyes and realizing that global warming isn’t just something that we can brush off and deal with later, and that if we don’t take immediate action it will only get more grave with time. Its effects on the world have already started to become painstakingly obvious. Everyone and everything will be affected from natural disasters, to the economy, to even people’s health, both physically and mentaly. Its effects on the world have already started to become painstakingly obvious, but it’s not too late to stop it.

 

 

Nuclear Weapons, Man’s Most Powerful Weapon of Mass Destruction

By: Jai M.

 

 

 

Do you like the thought of toxic, lethal radiation in our atmosphere and in our soil? Do you like the thought of that lethal radiation staying in the atmosphere for thousands of years? Well that is the disturbing truth of the most powerful man-made object in the world: the Nuclear Bomb.

Scientists predicted that if there were to be a nuclear war, and 100 nuclear weapons were used, it would cause tens of millions of climatic changes, not to mention the significant amount of deaths and/or extinctions that the war would cause. Even though it is highly unlikely that a nuclear war will happen in the near future (but it is still possible), nuclear tests are still a huge threat to the environment. The U.S. alone has conducted over 1,000 nuclear tests underground, underwater, or in the atmosphere in the past eighty years, and it is steadily increasing the amount of radioactive material in the atmosphere. After atmospheric testing in the 1960s alone, radiocarbon levels in the atmosphere were up by 190%.

            Nuclear weapons have also become more powerful and more dangerous. The only time nukes were actually used in war was in 1945 in World War 2. Both “Fat Man” and “Little Boy” were nuclear bombs made from Plutonium and were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. These two bombings killed well over 200,000 people. Just the Nuclear tests from 1954 to 1980 were equivalent to 29,000 Hiroshima sized nuclear explosions. That is petrifying.

Considering the amount of damage nuclear weapons can do, and how much it affects humans and the Earth's environment, the truth gets worse. The U.S. alone has 5,800 nuclear warheads ready to be launched at any moment. Just process that number: 5,800 modern nuclear warheads. One warhead alone could kill an estimated 1.2 million people and injure an additional 2 million people. All of these nukes are stashed around the U.S. in secret hiding places such as in nuclear submarines, in nuclear silos, secret military bases, and in some aircraft carriers. All of these nukes can receive the order to launch at any moment and can reach countries that are halfway around the world. That’s hard to even imagine.

Nuclear bombs are not just a big explosion that blows up. It has many complex stages to cause maximum destruction. Milliseconds after the initial explosion, there is a massive fireball in the sky, followed by the massive mushroom cloud above where the fireball was. Next, a shockwave travels at a speed of 300m/s, which is close to the speed of sound, not to mention all of the radioactivity of which people can get exposed. It can also cause severe radioactive burns called Beta Burns.     

Scientists use “Millisieverts” as a way of measuring how much radiation is in one's body, and how much radiation one has been exposed to. After the attacks on Hiroshima and Nakasaki, people were getting diagnosed with 50 to 100 millisieverts 20 weeks after the explosion. That same amount of millisieverts can increase one’s chance of dying from cancer in one’s lifetime by 25%. Some parts of Hiroshima and Nakasaki are still unsafe to travel to this day from the threat of possible radiation exposure since 1945 because the radioactive materials stay on Earth for thousands of years before fully decomposing. The whole nuclear blast range has a good chance to be contaminated with radioactivity that stays there for generations. Keep in mind, the nuclear weapons used in World War 2 happened almost eighty years ago, and Hiroshima and Nakasaki are still contaminated with radioactive waste. Just take some time to imagine what a nuclear bomb could do in today’s world. That is terrifying to think about. 

That is the petrifying truth of how strong nuclear weaponry can truly be. It can not only kill millions of lifeforms, but it has long term effects on the Earth’s environment. Countries and people need to start to focus on lowering the amounts of nuclear testing and the possibility of a nuclear war. The world already has enough major problems, and stopping nuclear use is one step closer to making the world a safer and better place.

 

 

The Uprise of Teen Depression

By: Nethra C.

 

Swirls and bursts of morose emotions flood your brain. Panic washes over you like a giant wave. As a teen, have you ever felt sad or stressed? These feelings are normal for any human being, but exhibiting these emotions daily can spiral down the unhealthy path of teen depression.  In recent years, teen depression has become more prominent than ever. Adults must rise to this situation before more and more loved ones are lost to suicide and despair. If we don’t take charge today, future generations could cripple from constant mental health issues.

About 20 percent of teens experience depression before adulthood. Furthermore, many keep this issue to themselves and never reveal anything to any adults. Perhaps, this number could be substantially more. Only 30 percent of teens facing depression are being treated! San Diego University professor Jean Twenge reveals that five times as many teens are dealing with depression-related issues than those observed during the Great Depression. Many kids who go down this route also face suicide. The rate of suicide of teens has tripled since 1960. It’s the third-leading cause of death of adolescents and second-leading among college youth.   

Why do all these things happen? And why is depression particularly affecting teens nowadays? To support this, school may be a major cause of mental health concerns. Excessive homework, exams, bullies, relationships, and pressure to do well cause lots of stress on kids. The staff from the Discover Mood and Anxiety program state, “modern-day lifestyles… less exercise, and no casual and unstructured technology-free play, less sunshine and more computer -- factors into the equation.” As technology gets advanced, many things in the world will solely rely on devices. Kids are sucked into technology and forget to do essential practices like exercising and going outside. According to Stanford Children’s Health, “a stressful home environment… and violence can lead to depression.” Trauma at home generates a big source of mental health predicaments. This includes divorce or death of parents, furthermore abuse and neglect as well. Unfortunately, once these issues cross a certain line, kids climb into deeper and darker levels of depression. According to https://www.mhanational.org/depression-teens-0, symptoms include hostile, aggressive behavior, substance abuse, destroyed relationships, and suicide. The Mayo Clinic Staff states, “It affects how your teenager thinks, feels and behaves, and it can cause emotional, functional and physical problems.” It’s repulsive how these circumstances can befall right under our noses. 

Fortunately, hope is not lost. If parents and teachers frequently intervene in a child’s life, serious mental health conditions can easily be prevented and terminated.  However, this doesn’t mean nagging or bothersome reminders. Preferably, adults should make kids feel comfortable speaking out and kindly approach them. According to Jill Suttie Ph.D., a psychologist, there are five different ways parents can help prevent depression in teens. Parents should implement continual care and support, teach strong emotional and social skills, encourage positive relationships,  and stimulate them to seek purpose in life.

Additionally, parents need to group in associations or unions and operate to change the school system and conditions. This could include talking to many teachers or the school board about reducing the daily workload on students. Molly Galloway from Lewis and Clark College says, “Because homework tends to act as a stressor in students’ lives, their bodies must find a way to respond or react to this stressor, chronic stress can induce negative physical, mental, and behavioral outcomes.” Moreover, parents could opt for a special program for specific bullies, or give out stricter rules and enforcement. Stopbullying.gov says, “Kids who are bullied can experience negative physical, social, emotional, academic, and mental health issues.” This act will positively impact every kid in the school and prevent them from experiencing distress. 

Even once teens have already fallen under depression, there are still many things parents can do. They should resort to medical solutions and professional help. For example, parents can take teens to mental health screenings to determine a kid’s conditions. Mental Health America announces, “Psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, medication” can drastically improve mental health in teens.  Most kids exhibit clear warning signs for attempted suicide. These include: “Obsession with death, giving away belongings, irrational, bizarre behavior.”  If all adults are somewhat educated in these matters, they could prevent many lives from being lost. 

We never know what goes on in the mind of a fragile teenager. Substantial numbers of teens are being lost every day due to depression and suicide. Families and schools must stop taking this point nonchalantly! All adults must collaborate to intercept and stop mental health obstacles from destroying our younger generations. Next time you go to school, check in on your classmates;  ask how they’re doing. Raising this topic at home and at school can cause others to become aware as well. If we all want to be healthy 20 years in the future, everyone needs to play their small role in stopping this noxious hindrance.

 

 

 

 

The Unknown Side of Obesity

By: Judah J.

 

           

            America, land of the free, home of the obese. Out of 141 countries, America ranks 12th. Yay, right? Yet another victory for America. However, this high placement is extremely negative. America did not place 12th in rights, nor gun ownership, rather obesity. 36.2% of our population is obese. Two in five Americans suffer from obesity. Isn’t that tragic? Approximately 300,000 Americans die annually due to issues related to obesity. Obesity has several negative effects: reduced quality of life, shorter life expectancy, mental issues, and the list goes on. However, although these effects may be obvious, the causes may not meet the eye. Obesity is caused by more than excessive eating, culture and influential socio-economics being two of the main causes.

            It is important to take the several causes of obesity into consideration when talking about obesity. Americans become obese through a diverse set of reasons, such as unhealthy eating rather than excessive eating (although excessive eating remains a large cause). In several cases, Americans have no choice but to consume unhealthy foods. In 2019, 10.5% of American households were food insecure at least sometime during the year. It is oftentimes that cheap processed foods are more affordable compared to healthy whole foods.

Redlining and segregation have forced African Americans and Latino Americans into areas of poverty and low income. Due to the lack of money in these areas, residents have been left with no other choice but to purchase cheap, and often unhealthy foods that can be easily found. Cheap sugary drinks such as grape soda are marketed in these areas of poverty and are known to negatively affect the health of consumers. This is where the stereotype of “grape drink loving blacks” originated. These areas are known as food deserts. European Americans weren’t subject to redlining, segregation, and other socioeconomic government tactics used to diminish American citizens. So although European Americans have a high obesity rate, their obesity isn’t affected by malicious government tactics, rather other causes. Asian Americans have the lowest obesity rate, 17.4%. The large majority of Asian Americans are first and second generation immigrants, meaning that Asian Americans weren’t subject to segregation and other pre-segregation socio-economics that would force them into poor areas. Notice the correlation between poverty and obesity? Poverty plays a factor in the high obesity rates of African Americans, as well as Latino and Hispanic Americans. The high poverty rates of these communities are also affected by socio-economics that were diminished during times of segregation, as well as sometime after. A few examples being court bias, which unreasonably jailed minorities, unequal education, and as mentioned previously, redlining. It was difficult for minorities (African Americans and Latinos) to succeed in a country where majorities didn’t allow them to. In simple terms, the more poverty there is in a select demographic, the more obese the demographic becomes.

            Culture and societal standards also play a significant role in the obesity rates of American demographics. Take Asian Americans for instance.  Asian Americans have the lowest obesity rate by far when compared to African Americans, Latino Americans, and European Americans. This is irregular because, in my previous logic, “The more poverty there is in a select demographic, the more obese the demographic becomes.” This means that Asian Americans should have a higher obesity rate than European Americans because their poverty rate is higher (slightly). Although my previous logic is in fact correct, culture can affect the obesity rate of demographics. Asian Americans are largely first and second generation immigrants. This being taken into account, Asian Americans have close cultural ties to their country of origin. East Asian countries such as China, Japan, and Korea typically have a current society that rejects overweight citizens. For instance, Japan has a legal waistline limit on women, 40 years old and up, of 33.4 inches, and a legal waistline limit on men, 40 years old and up, of 33.5 inches. The average waistline of an American male is approximately 40.2 inches, and for women 20 to 30 years old, 37.1 inches. For women 60 and over, 39.9 inches. It’s obvious that Japanese immigrants would be thinner than Americans due to these laws. In Korea, people who are 5’4 and 93lbs match the beauty standards of their society. Koreans eat smaller portions of food on top of dieting to maintain their thin physique. Korean pop-stars and influencers also promote their thin beauty standards. Chinese citizens also partake in trends that supposedly measure one’s beauty, a popular one being the coin in the collarbone challenge, a challenge in which Chinese women attempt to stack coins in their collarbone gap. According to their logic, the more coins you are able to stack in your collarbone gap, the more pronounced your collarbone is, and the more pronounced your collarbone is, the thinner and prettier you are. Trends similar to this promote a thinner beauty standard. Other Asian countries follow suit, however it is of greater importance to focus on China, Korea, and Japan because the large majority of East Asian immigrants come from these three countries.

            Culture can prevent obesity, and culture can cause obesity. Take African Americans for instance. Culturally, African Americans create foods that are often unhealthy, such as Soul Food. Fried chicken and chitlins are two popular foods within the Soul Food category, as well as macaroni and cheese. According to healthline.com in Is soul food healthy?, “Many items commonly associated with soul food are linked to an increased risk of several illnesses, including heart disease. Yet, soul food can be made much healthier by emphasizing the tradition’s nutritious dishes.”  healthline.com also says, “This eating pattern is tied to an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, cancer, stroke, and mental decline.” This can be interpreted as, “Soul food can be healthy, but only when you make it healthy.” After all, collard greens (a soul food) are a very nutritious leafy green.

            Returning to the general culture of America, fast food franchises promote obesity as well. The usage of bright colors such as the infamous red and yellow in the McDonald’s logo are a prime example. Red is a color of alert, energy, and action. The color red is also used to grab attention; this helps franchises attract customers while passing by their restaurants. The pituitary gland can be activated by the color red, which in turn encourages appetite. McDonald’s, Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, Taco Bell, and Burger King are the top five most popular fast food chains in America. Starbucks is the only fast food chain that doesn’t include red in their advertisements. Starbucks utilizes the color green instead, which also encourages customers to buy from them. The color green is a natural color, the color of the earth, and a peaceful color. Coffee shops are known to be calm and peaceful places, somewhere busy people can sit down, grab a coffee, and complete work on their laptops. The dark green in the starbucks logo promotes this idea perfectly.

Drive-thrus play a significant role in the consumption of fast food as well. The addition of Drive-thrus gives customers the convenience of purchasing cheap unhealthy food quickly from the added comfort of their personal vehicle. Drive-thrus also hook customers in. If a customer chooses to purchase fast food from inside a restaurant, they have time to think about whether or not they really want to buy the food. In order to buy from inside a fast food restaurant, a customer must find a parking spot, walk inside the restaurant, and wait in line. This process takes longer to complete than buying from a Drive-thru. All customers have to do when buying from a Drive-thru is enter the line. It is likely that other customers will be in the back and front of a customer, effectively blocking them in. If customers have difficulty exiting the Drive-thru line it is likely that they will buy food regardless of their appetite. Customers do this because they already wasted their time in line, so they buy themselves a treat as a self-reward.

Americans also buy a lot of fast food due to the sheer amount of fast food restaurants in America! Fast food franchises install their restaurants in densely populated areas as they know they will have more customers. The denser the population, the more fast food restaurants there are. This is no mistake. In this scenario, correlation is causation. Nothing is safe from the red wrath; schools utilize the color red in their foods as well. Bosco Sticks, served at FMS, use a white background on their packaging to make their red logo isolated. This effective tactic of isolation catches the eye of students passing by. Mozzarella breadsticks are also unhealthy. Mozzarella cheese is high in fat and the breadsticks are high in carbs. America was built on marketing, and America is continuously fueled by marketing. It is unlikely that we will see a change in these practices; Americans will continue to grow obese.

            As previously said, it is unlikely that we will see change in manipulative marketing tactics. However, there is a partial solution. As opposed to buying fast food and purchasing processed foods, cook your own meals. Cooking, and even growing your own foods (although difficult), isa lot healthier than consuming foods elsewhere. Local grocery stores such as Hannaford, ShopRite, and Price Chopper sell decently affordable foods that you can cook at home. These options may not be available to all Americans, especially those in food deserts, so take advantage of these opportunities if you can. For financial assistance, reach out to charity funds and other organizations that provide money needed to purchase nutritious foods. As always, be sure to get the recommended amount of daily exercise. Go on a walk, take a bike ride, or find a hobby that requires physical activity. YouTube has plenty of free exercise videos that you can watch, whether you’re looking for a short cardio exercise or a lengthy strength training exercise. Remember, the healthier you are, the happier you will be!

            Recognition of the obesity epidemic is growing, but a proper solution has yet to be achieved. In order to put an end to the ongoing obesity epidemic, we as people must unite and discuss actions that need to be taken. Let’s make America healthier.

 

           

           

 

 

 

Procrastination is Damaging

By: Teanne Z.

 

 

Sitting at your desk, legs shaking, hands sweaty, your teacher in your face, breathing down your neck. “Where is it?'' she asks in such a stern way you feel like crying. All you can do is sit there and wait as the regret floods in. Imagine feeling like a disappointment. Procrastination is a brutal thing, not to mention horrible for your future. It can feel so good to just say you’re going to do it later, watch some tik tok and forget all about it. But when it comes time you push it off even longer. Later, later, later. Until you're at that exact position, feeling like you're about to pass out.

I think we all can agree that procrastination is tempting. A lot of people think of themselves as a bad person afterwards, but it doesn’t make you a bad person. A professor in physiology actually says, “It’s not about time management.” So then what is it about? Many things. Most of the time it's because of having the mindset of, "if I don't do it, they can't judge my ability." People who procrastinate because of this are usually very taciturn or reticent, meaning they keep to themselves most of the time. Another cause of this problem is simply just not wanting to take responsibility. Based on a study, about 85 to 90 percent of students procrastinate. Procrastination is usually based on anxiety. To top it off, procrastinators usually blame their failure on lack of time.

Procrastination also has super negative impacts when you're older. According to a study, “one in two adults say that procrastination has had a bad result in their future, and one in five adults say it impacted them horribly.” According to Oxford Learning, “students who procrastinate experience higher levels of frustration, guilt, stress, and anxiety.”  It can end up hurting your career and threaten your happiness. Oxford Learning also says that procrastination can get worse and worse over time. Maybe missing a couple of assignments in middle school can lead to missing bigger projects in high school. It also creates anxiety, which of course is something that you don’t want. The worst of all, missing opportunities, and there's nothing worse than sitting on your deathbed and realising you let life pass you by.

If it's hurting your future that bad, just stop, right? Wrong. “Telling a chronic procrastinator to just do it is like telling a depressed person to just cheer up,” states Joseph Ferrari. Based on a wgu.edu study, procrastinating is so hard to stop because there is a chemical released by your brain. The more feelings you have the more chemicals are created. It’s almost like your brain gets addicted to the chemical. To try and stop you can motivate the person or yourself. Before you can start, because procrastinators commonly feel guilty after, forgive yourself. Let go of the past and focus on the future. Some ways to stop procrastinating are promising yourself a reward and limiting distractions. If you have a friend, sibling or parent nearby, you could ask them to check up on you every once in a while. Another option is trying the “eat an elephant beetle” method. It means to do the hardest  thing as early in the day as possible so you have the rest of the day to relax. One way I personally stop procrastinating is listening to music to try and block out my thoughts. Getting into a comfy position might help too. Sometimes, if I really can’t complete the task because I can’t focus, I’ll do something else productive.

For the sake of our futures, we must stop procrastinating. You do not want to be the person who no one can trust or rely on. We must stand above procrastination. Next time you have something important to do, try some of these methods. I guarantee you, if you stop procrastinating you will have a much healthier and happier life!

 

 

 

Global Poverty

By: Paarth S.

 

 

As you walk into the house, you set your backpack down after an exhausting and tiring day at school. You open the cabinet and grab a bag of chips, as well as a beverage from the fridge. Nothing’s better than being able to relax after a long day at school. Unfortunately, school and food isn’t a reality for many people.

Most Americans don’t realize this, but 85% of people in the world make only $30 per day. Additionally, poverty-stricken people spend 60 to 80% of their money on food, which makes purchasing anything besides food nearly impossible. Statistically, three million children die from lack of proper food and water each year.

Most underprivileged people in the world have little to no education, limited electricity, and are starving. In fact, 70% of people in extreme poverty who are over the age of 15 have little to no education. Electricity is also a major problem for developing countries. Liberia, a country in West Africa, uses less energy than the Cowboys Stadium - a football stadium in the United States. The entire continent of Africa uses only three percent of the world’s electricity. In fact, 1.3 billion people - who account for 22% of the world’s population - lack electricity, as well as water and proper education.

            Poverty undeniably takes a major toll on people’s health. "Poverty is a negative, independent factor that influences lifelong health," says Dr. James Duffee. Poverty is something that can cause major stress, and Duffee explains that major childhood stress leads to illnesses such as diabetes, or cardiac disease. The health of adults is affected by poverty as well. Poverty forces people to work increasingly stressful jobs for extended periods of time. Working a long or stressful job can cause mental illnesses such as depression, which can lead to suicide. These illnesses may not be able to get properly treated, as people living in poverty usually lack access to proper medical attention. This makes treatment for any kind of disease or illness impractical.

Global poverty is a prevalent problem. The lives of many people are changed drastically because of poverty, which affects their health conditions, living conditions, and education. Children who aren’t able to receive a proper education are denied a healthy, prosperous future. So, if you wish that school doesn’t exist or say that school is useless, think again, because more than 1.3 billion people are willing to take your place.