As Daniel Smith, one of the last children of enslaved Americans, lay dying at 90 years old in a Seattle hospital, he was surrounded by family and friends who loved him. His life was a testament to the strength and resilience of the human spirit, and his passing marked the end of an era. Meanwhile, in Portland and Seattle, people were enduring the world’s worst air quality as wildfires burned nearby. The air was thick with smoke, making it difficult to breathe. But even in these challenging conditions, people found ways to support each other and help each other through. Temperature spikes can harm fish, plants, and water quality. So when scientists saw that U. S. rivers were becoming increasingly hot due to climate change, they sounded the alarm. This is just one more example of how climate change is affecting our planet in dangerous ways. TikTok parent ByteDance planned to use TikTok to monitor the physical location of specific American citizens. This news caused outrage among many users of the popular social media platform. People are rightfully concerned about their privacy and safety when using such platforms. Finally, images of megadrought devastation in North America are shocking. Over 70% of pediatric hospital beds in US full amid surge of respiratory illnesses brought on by poor air quality from wildfires burning across the country are just some of the scenes that have been captured by photographers. The effects of climate change are real and they are happening right now. We must take action to protect our planet before it’s too late.