I first got empowered to put a stop to climate change after watching David Attenborough’s amazing documentary, Climate Change: The Facts. Since then, I have started an Eco Club with my friend at school, got people to sign a petition for recycling bins, raised money for recycling bins, made hedgehog houses and started a garden.

Climate Change is such an important issue, as we only have around ten years to make a change to some of our actions. Climate Change is the warming of the Earth due to burning fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal to release greenhouse gases which, once in the atmosphere, trap the sun’s heat, hence warming the Earth like a blanket. This can effect so many species and environments in negative ways.

In this article I will be going through 2 of some of the most endangered species, their habitats and diets, and of course the hazards which are affecting and risking their very existence.

1. Hawksbill Sea Turtle: This is a species close to my heart as I sponsor these amazing creatures through WWF. You can sponsor an animal for just £3 a month which I think is really awesome! These creatures have been dwelling in the waters of our oceans for over 100 years! There are 7 marine turtle species, and 6 of the 7 are endangered. One of the reasons for this is that the gender of the hatchling depends on the temperature of the sand in which the eggs are laid. If the sand is hot there will be more females and if its cold, more males. Once male turtles are grown up they won’t leave the sea, but females nest on beaches to lay eggs and they return to exactly the same beach every time they lay eggs, usually the same beach they hatched! Hawksbills and other marine turtle species are crucial in maintaining coral reefs as they eat sea sponges which would compete with corals if turtles didn’t consume them. These creatures are amazing but unfortunately their population is put at risk due to fisheries, illegal wildlife/animal trade and of course climate change.

2. Asian Elephant: My sister has adopted elephants, also with the WWF. Asian elephant numbers have approximately halved in the last 60-75 years and these beautiful giants are effected by habitat loss, illegal wildlife trade and human wildlife conflict. They only have 15% of their original roaming land left because of new buildings, agriculture etc. Over half are found in India, 10,000 in North-East India, 100 in Vietnam, 250 in Cambodia and 250 in China. They are important for many reasons - in forests they make clearings, so light can get to small plants, and they spread seeds as they eat plants and also dig for water and protect other animals around them. You can tell an Asian Elephant apart from an African Elephant as Asian Elephants have smaller ears.

These species need our help. We have caused their population to decrease and this is our chance to make it right again. I hope you enjoyed my article on endangered species and are empowered to fight climate change. You can find out more about how to sponsor an animal at: https://support.wwf.org.uk/adopt-an-animal