Finally Seen

by Kelly Yang

Pete mutters under his breath to me and Millie, “Can you believe it? Our Earth is in crisis mode—in 2020 alone, sixteen freshwater fish species went extinct—and people still can’t separate their trash.” Pete sure is a walking encyclopedia of science knowledge. “People. We overfish, overexploit. Do before we think. Use too much of everything—cups, straws, plastic forks—wasting the Earth away!” He turns to me. “Which is why we need more microregenerative farms, like this one, near urban centers. As the world gets hotter and we have more extreme weather, there will be less water. And food will become a serious problem. Now if we’re smart, and we farm smart—I’m talking cover cropping, mulching, composting, and taking care of the soil—we can actually store carbon in the soil, reversing the effects of climate change.”