Take Care of the World (RUNNER UP, Age 12-18)

This morning, I opened my eyes with that ear scratching sound of blinds.The robot who is a member of our home was opening the curtains when I woke up. A sweet sunlight that warms you was leaking through the window. I still didn’t get over my fatigue. I wrote all night without a break to finish my speech of today. My wife set out early in the morning for my granddaughter's birthday preparations.

I slowly straightened myself up in the bed. Despite my old age, it was lucky that I could care take of myself. Detecting that I was moving, the robot said that my coffee was ready and my breakfast would be prepared in a few minutes.

After a quick shower, I headed to my wardrobe. When choosing the outfit I wanted to wear from the digital display on the closet door, I realized that I didn't make the last checks of my speech last night.

I was invited to a seminar named “Effects of Climate Change on Human and Technology” in San Francisco. For many years, I did scientific studies on climate change and now I retired. At the seminar, I was asked to give a speech for young people.

I went down to the kitchen and had breakfast. I went to my room, while Robot tidied up the kitchen table. By clicking on the screen on my table, I examined the hologram of the visuals that I will use in my speech. I sat on my chair and started to reading.

Dear Young People,
Dear participants who are curious about the human and climate relationship, welcome all of you. According to you gathered here for listen to the boring memories from retired scientist, you must have a lot of free time.

First I'd like to take you all began the early years to 2020. I was a young academician in those years. Me and many other academicians from around the world worked on the possible effects of climate change, we were trying to raise awareness about the disasters of these changes create. We attended tens of conferences. With environmental organizations we made various actions and we tried to convince the heads of state to comply with the Kyoto Protocol.

Despite all warnings and global campaigns, we continued to consume the world rapidly. The water crisis, which began in the 2030s, indicated that the disasters were approaching.

Millions even billions, yeah you didn’t hear wrong, billions of tree were cut for supply to endless needs of humans. In every city, hundreds of hectares of fertile land were buried in concrete to add a new one to the flashy shopping malls that were beginning to breed like viruses.

The gases from the exhausts of the flashy cars combined with the toxic fumes from the unfiltered chimneys of the factories. The poisonous gases covered the entire planet and built a wall of smoke around it.

Years were chasing years; the world was giving warning reactions to humanity's unconsciousness and insensitivity to nature. Climate changes, weather temperatures that are far below or above the normal season, successive hurricanes, months of fires, floods... it was as if nature was taking revenge.

Human being continued to ignore the real cause of this disaster while you became the dream of setting up life on other planets. In those years, it was discussed that the planet Mars would be bombarded with thermonuclear bombs to create an atmosphere.

In 2019, began the Mini Ice Age as predicted. The vast majority of scientists believed that global warming would slow down and even ice age will stop it. None of them could come did not believe global warming is dominant. For the first five years, everything proceeded exactly as expected. Extreme cold weather in certain regions has reduced the temperature of the Earth. To natural disasters was reduced. Natural disasters were reduced. Nature was returning to normal. People believed all the problems were over. Until that horrible day...

The whole world was shaken by an earthquake of unprecedented magnitude. The buildings, the roads, ground we were on… The earthquake lasted 15 minutes. Giant waves occurred in about 10 meters in coastal sides. The disintegrating glaciers raised the water level in areas near the poles. Some dormant volcanoes are reactivating.

Thousands of people died by staying under the rubble. Everywhere was filled with the wounded. People tried to find their relatives. . To the rescue of the wounded were made to work for the day. For days, without stopping for even a moment…Since there was no solid hospital, medical interventions were carried out in open spaces and in tents. The lucky ones managed to find an open area in the first minute of the earthquake. What about those who aren't lucky? Some of them under a wreck some of them in the cold waters of the ocean. It will take months or even years to heal the wounds of the earthquake… For us non long, this fifteen minutes was sufficient for the start of the global crisis in all the world.

Came the year of 2030. Formerly with the air of a mother, nature that embraces us no longer had become a monster. With the news of a new disaster every day we were waking up. Natural catastrophes could not be avoided. Everyone was looking for a safe place to escape. However, there wasn't a safe place, actually. Drought where there was no flood, flooding where there was no earthquake, fire disaster where there were no hurricanes.

The whole world was mixed. We were dying, were dying a little more every day. The soil turned its back on us. People were struggling with hunger. Because of fish species dwindled, the only thing that sailed person could catch was plastic bottles and unsatisfying garbage. Countries were looking for new policies to feed their citizens. All the food in the warehouse was decreased a little more every day. It was time to stop this course of events. If nothing was done now, this world would be like hell.

Became a significant development in the year 2042. At the urging of the UN, a global summit was held with representatives from 236 countries. There was only one agenda item at the summit: “How can we be saved?” At the end of the 7-day summit, some decisions were adopted by all countries.

1-     All attempts to pollute nature will cease,
2-     Fossil fuels to be completely removed,
3-     Nuclear facilities and research to be halted,
4-     Clean water resources will be maintained, water consumption will be reduced,
5-     The seas and oceans will be cleared of litter and made suitable for living life,
6-     Renewable energy sources will be used

All countries followed these decisions exactly. In those years when all hope was lost, the implementation of the decisions taken at the summit gave people hope again. Positive developments were beginning to happen one after another. Nature was recovering. The species of plants and animals were growing again, and the basic needs of humans were met without harm to the environment.

In all this time, technology has also developed rapidly. Environmentally friendly vehicles fed from alternative energy sources have been developed. The houses were equipped with technological systems and made into a living being. There was a very important difference between this technology and previous technologies: be environmentally friendly.

2082 is numbered days away. I have managed to get through of bitter events, global climate crises and disasters that most people in this hall have not witnessed. I feel like I'm slowly nearing the end. I am so happy that we have made our world a habitable planet again, rather than looking for new habitable planets, and that we could did it together with all humans. There are important lessons to be learned from those disasters we've had in the past. If we try to kill the world to make more profit, we're the ones who do the damage.

Technology is a must now. Technology and human are one. We can't think of them apart. It is up to us to develop this technology and make it more useful. If we keep working nonstop, we can have better than we can have now. So never stop developing and trying. Finally, take care of the world.

Thank you for listening to me.

I finished reading my speech and got out of my seat. I only had an hour left. The robot in the house had already called a taxi. I went out and start to wait. A few minutes later, the taxi arrived. The taxi, which has no driver in it, has determined my estimated arrival time and fare. It reached my bank records with my fingerprint. After I approved the payment, I leaned back into my seat and started watching outside. The water-powered car was moving silently through the streets. I was thinking about how time passed as I moved across on the Golden Gate Bridge, which was badly damaged in the earthquake and took years to repair.

I breathed the salty smell of the sea while I was lost among the memories. Before I know how time has passed, we’ve already arrived at the door of the hall where I'm going to give a speech. I found myself repeating the last sentence of my speech as I walked into the hall with calm steps next to those who greeted me with expressions of respect. “Take care of the world, take care of the world.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

My name is Hayat Tekoğlu. I was born in Aydın, Turkey on 27.01.2005. I am a 9th grade student at Nazilli Science High School and also I'm a student at Aydın Ticaret Borsası Science and Art Center which is a public school giving education to pupils who are identified as gifted and talented.

I'm a student of Developing Special Abilities Process. I am passionate about science and art. I took many trainings in scientific and artistic fields. It is indispensable for me to follow technological developments, to do robotics, coding and software studies. Besides, I like to spend my free time painting, playing the violin and listening to music. I would like to do studies in medicine and genetics in the future. My interest in reading since I was a little girl made a significant contribution to the development of my writing skills. I discovered my writing talent thanks to my Turkey degree in the national story writing competition named “Life on Mars”. No matter what profession I choose in the future, writing will always remain a passion for me and I will never quit writing.

The End