What should I tell my students about Earth's future?

As we celebrate Earth Day this week, I am deeply concerned about several recent federal executive orders and agency firings that will greatly impact our planet. As a proud Earth and Space Science and Advanced Placement Environmental Science teacher on Long Island, it is my job to teach future generations about our planet, how we are impacting it, and how we can improve it. I strive to have my students leave the classroom feeling knowledgeable and empowered. However, this goal is becoming increasingly more challenging as our country is no longer working toward a more sustainable future.

Recently, my colleagues and I taught the AP students about the importance of federal lands such as national parks, national forests and wildlife refuges. What should my response be when they ask about recent firings at the agencies that protect these areas and orders to use these areas to drill for oil or natural gas, or for logging to increase timber sales?

I can only imagine how horrified former President Theodore Roosevelt would be today. As the person who laid the groundwork for the National Park System, he realized that the ultimate purpose of our cherished parks is to preserve open land and thereby deter resource extraction. I was heartbroken to hear about the thousands of employees who were fired from the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service. They played a crucial role in maintaining the parks and educating the public about the importance of the natural environment and its delicate balance of ecosystems.

These actions can’t be about government efficiency since the 428 units of our National Park System serve 325 million annual visitors. The National Park Service requires only $3.5 billion in federal funding while visitor spending contributes more than $55 billion to our economy and supports 415,000 jobs.

Our national parks also are an important part of the fight against greenhouse gas pollution. Fact: Forests in the contiguous United States are a net carbon sink, capturing approximately 59.7 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, and National Park Service lands capture an additional 14.8 million metric tons of carbon dioxide per year — the total equivalent of about 20% of America's annual emissions from passenger cars. As more carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, is emitted into the atmosphere, the more infrared radiation is absorbed and the more our planet warms.

If our planet warms beyond the 1.5-degree Celsius goal of the Paris Agreement, we will unleash several irreversible changes such as the widespread melting of permafrost and the die-off of low-latitude coral reefs that provide habitats for a variety of species, protect coastlines from storms and erosion, and provide jobs for local communities. Anyone who is planning to purchase waterfront property on Long Island someday might want to reconsider if this administration continues on this trajectory.

Growing up, I was fearful of our ever-changing climate and how it would affect my Long Island home and family. As I grew, so did my perspective. My fear turned into passion, inspiring me to engage with young people and become the dedicated teacher I am today. I implore those in power to carefully consider the consequences of the detrimental actions already taken, pause them, and reevaluate other environmental actions going forward. Give me a reason to include hope in my lesson plans rather than managing my students’ current anxieties about the future of the planet.

This guest essay reflects the views of Kaitlin Mars-Liebman, a high school science teacher on Long Island.