Hello Friends,

Today I write on a very somber tone and note. Recently, Mother Nature lashed out at one of the most beautiful places on Earth. The Philippines: a paradise on Earth, left in the wake of destruction after being struck by one of the most devastating storms in history. In recent years I have been shocked by the magnitude and frequency of storms hitting some of the most serene places on earth. Doing some extra research in this area I came across the fact that these mega-storms are caused across the world due to global warming. While, these storms occur naturally, global warming will cause storms to be more powerful and more frequent. As global warming warms the waters in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, more warm moist air is fed into storms causing storms to be more powerful. Increased frequency is caused by the waters staying warmer throughout the year causing storms to strike possibly even later in the fall. Warming waters cause the range of storms to move further north and south to areas where there has never been such storms before. This is the consequences of our actions. As we speak, thousands lose a loved one in the Philippines. This exquisite gem of a country has been hit by one of the greatest forces of nature. We pray around the world for the wellbeing of all affected. We pray from the bottom of our hearts that you are safe. At my school, we raise funds from students. The humanitarian response from simple high school student is incredible. In Canada, the government has promised to match every dollar raised for humanitarian response. Even in the wake of such destruction, the human compassion awakened provides one some solace as we recuperate from this storm. I pray that the Philippines will soon return to being the paradise it is.

Respectfully,

Nitish Bhatt