It’s no secret that climate change has affected our world. The recent September heat wave is a blatant example of unnatural, extreme weather experienced in the New York area. 

In years past, along with back-to-school excitement, September brought the fall season. Temperatures cooled off and were generally in the high 60s or low 70s. This year, the weather remained at 90 degrees or higher. 

Our climate’s crisis has also impacted the daily life of Heschel students. Aside from the common argument that the dress code is gender biased and restrictive of students’ desired attire, it raised the concern of comfort. Many students, particularly female identifying, complained about being too hot in pants and wished to wear shorts. Additionally, Heschel sports teams, that usually practice outside, were moved to an indoor facility. This was the first time the weather has been hot enough to reach the point during the school year that it was unsafe to exercise outside. 

Climate change has been an issue for decades. Scientists and many others tried to raise awareness for years to adjust our eco-damaging lifestyles to more eco-friendly ones. Now that the extreme weather caused by our actions are actually affecting the way we go about our lives, one can only hope humanity will get on board to help the world.