“Today children, is a very special day. 100 years ago today, the last Arctic ice melted away. And that is cause for celebration!”
The children cheered as they knew they should.
“As you know, we used to have millions of tons of ice, trapped at the poles of our planet. When it melted the water levels rose. But this allowed desalination plants all over the globe to take in lots and lots of sea water, without harming the life in the oceans.”
“Today Africa is no longer a desert, but a well irrigated continent. Indeed, it is sometimes called the breadbasket of the world, with over 50% of the worlds food and 25% of the worlds forests grown in its sunny climate.”
“Rising temperatures caused our grandparents generation to create solar updraft towers, and all the solar panels that we see today.”
A student raised his hand. “Yes?”
“My grandpa said that when he was a boy, people were scared of the ice going away.”
The teacher smiled. “That’s true.” she said. “But it just goes to show you can’t take anything for granted.”