The flag of Ukraine.

"Hello my name is Emira. I live in the U.S.A. and I am in the 4-th grade at Webster School. I was born in Germany but I grew up in the Ukraine. I like learning about global warming because it is very interesting for me because I am really worried about our future. My parents and I began talking about Global Warming and its effects on our planet, especially in the Ukraine. They told me about the chemical factories and about Chernobyl. Here is my information. I hope it helps everyone understand how important it is to find other sources of energy. I hope whoever reads this will also understand how children feel about this subject."

-Emira

Ukraine has 47,110,000, Kiev is the capital city and everyone in the Ukraine goes to school, the literacy rate is one hundred percent. The Ukraine is rich in minerals. There is something about the Ukraine that is unique. It has the biggest metal urologic complex in Europe. Krivii Rig a town right near mine has a big chemical industry; the factory's name is Kryvorizstil. Sometimes the town is covered in mist from emissions from the chemical factory. It smells so bad that you cannot even breathe. The streets are red, but not because they are painted, it is from the dust from the factory. Industry is partly to blame for global warming. This one chemical factory is a great example of what happens to a town when there are not many regulations and when the environment is not respected. Pollution is a side effect of global warming.

When talking about global warming my parents told me about an accident which happened in my country on April 26, 1986. Reactor number four at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station exploded. Tons of radioactive materials filled the sky. Hundreds of thousands of people had to leave their homes and be evacuated. Even now people are still sick and their children as well. Those that are still sick from the fallout and cannot work or get better are called status invalids. Chernobyl is still affecting the health of children born now. This is very sad for all the people in the Ukraine.

Chernobyl was the biggest nuclear accident of the twentieth century. I am afraid this could happen to any country. This is why we have to learn more about natural power sources such as solar, wind and water. On April 26, 2006, twenty years to the date of the accident, Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko talked about this at a conference in Kiev. He asked the nations that attended to help him with the costs of cleaning up the Ukraine. He wants to clean up the polluted areas, find better ways to dispose of nuclear waste and help the sick people of the Ukraine. At this conference Mikail Gorbachav, asked the leaders of the major industrial nations to create a fifty billion dollar Global Solar Fund over the next ten years to help fund renewable energy sources. Mr. Gorbachav is the founder and chairman of the environmental organization Green Cross International. Green Cross International believes the hope for our future and the future of developing nations is to have other alternatives for fuel so they are not dependent on oil or gas for energy. Mikail Gorbachav was the General Secretary of the Communist Party at the time of the Chernobyl explosion and now he is a leader for the environment.

I am very glad everyone is interested in global warming and I am glad we have other ways to save the planet. This is my story. I hope people never forget about Chernobyl. I hope everyone who reads this will think about the future for children and find safe energy alternatives for everyone on Earth.