Did you know that approximately 35 million adults in the United States don't think global warming is happening? (Marlon et al. 2022) Additionally, a 2020 study conducted by the United Nations showed that of the 1.2 million people surveyed, 36% didn't believe that climate change was an emergency requiring immediate action. (Carrington 2021) But the science cannot be ignored: glaciers are shrinking, the frequency of wildfires is increasing, the number of cold- and heat-related deaths is becoming more prevalent, and bodies of water are freezing later and later.
Proof of this exists in Ottawa, Ontario, home to the world's largest outdoor ice-skating rink, the Rideau Canal Skateway, which is 8 kilometers (5 miles) long and has a surface area equivalent to 90 Olympic ice hockey rinks. This canal has opened to the public every year since 1971, but due to an unusually mild winter in 2022,...