January 26, 2024
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GOLDIE
GL
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A Publication of the Goldie Margolin School for Girls
Hot Planet, Cool Solutions By Shoshanah Kaplowitz ('24)
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polar bear rises up from the water onto a small ice shelf alongside a seal. The polar bear jumps on top of the seal, but the seal notices the polar bear attacking, and is able to escape and jump back into the water. This is a daily occurrence in the Arctic, but it may soon disappear due to global warming. Global warming may be considered one of the most pressing issues of the century. As the planet warms, the climate changes causing more droughts, dangerous storms, res, and oods. These potentially life changing events will continue to increase, and will become even more dangerous, potentially killing thousands of people each year. At COP28, a climate conference that happened this past November, it was eventually decided that to limit this warming, fossil fuels must be phased out of use. This was the conclusion because they are the biggest contributor to global warming. Fossil fuels act as a greenhouse gas which traps hot air in the atmosphere and disrupts the natural cooling cycle of the earth. Fossil fuels are things such as coal, oil, and natural gas and their continued use causes the earth to heat up and is the main driver of global warming.
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Goldie Globe Issue 5
Global warming most speci cally affects the Arctic region. The rising temperatures melt the iconic glaciers and ice caps, and will unquestionably alter the lives of the people and animals that live there. According to World Wildlife Fund, many animals, like polar bears, rely on the natural landscape found in the Arctic for their survival. They rely on the ice and snow for camou age, but also to travel, rest, hunt, and mate. Without this natural cover polar bears' yearly migrations are disrupted and they can face severe population declines. Other animals, like the arctic seal, also rely on the ice for survival. When the valuable ice melts, the seals lose their homes and habitat, which disrupts their life cycle. Seal pups are especially in danger if they don’t have a den. They can be separated from their mothers during crucial periods of their development which can kill these special pups. Even Arctic ocean animals are being affected by global warming. As the ocean temperatures around the Arctic rise, the zooplankton and tiny shell sh that support the ocean food chain may die off, causing a massive cascading effect to the entire ocean ecosystem. The iconic large ocean animals like blue whales and narwhals can lose some of their major food Continued on page 2
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Battle of the Brews Page 4
Tikkun Olam: To Build or To Break Page 6
Memphis Winter: Expectation vs Reality Page 7
Frozen Dreamcast Page 9