6 Degrees Later

A Story by Kezia

We are dying. There is no nice way of putting it.

A little girl no older than 5 stares out the window at her front lawn to see dry grass and a dying tree. I could have told her that the tree was dying because the heat was too overwhelming and the carbon dioxide levels were too high but I didn't. Not only because she wouldn't hear me but because she wouldn't understand. Her mother walked into the room, "Olivia, when I was your age there was always snow in January. And we would have to bundle up super cozy and if it was early in January and we were lucky we would eat left over turkey", she said. It didn't snow anymore because the temperatures were too high and humans could no longer raise animals for meat; they needed the resources for themselves. "Mommy, why don't we just plant more trees?" Olivia asked. Her mother was silent, there was no sense in planting trees anymore because it wouldn't help. "Go play outside sweetie, your mask is by the front door" the mother said calmly. No one would have imagined that it could all happen so quickly. Everyone always knew the climate change and pollution was real but everyone figured they wouldn't be around to see it.
I don't understand humans. They need more always. They keep reproducing and and building. They couldn't make room for the trees 50 years ago but there was always room for roads and now I roam around the world and see in front of me a mother holding back tears because her child is getting more ill and the coughing is constant. I watch fear take over the mother because she knows her daughter won't make it past 20 and she knows that planting trees can't save what's been done and she knows that the world refused to give up methane producing cows until 6 years ago and they refused to give up fossil fuels until 3 years ago. She knows that what has been done is now irreversible. The third world countries felt it first but nature does not care how much money you have to offer. Olivia has not yet tasted fresh water and chemicals run through her veins. Everyone knows it's illegal to kill the wildlife but if you're lucky enough to see a pigeon you'll kill it for your child to have protein.
Little Olivia was never fortunate enough to to reach the age of 10. Her mother wished that she died by accident or that the family had no idea it was coming but they did know. They knew at least 100 years before Olivia was even born.