Heroes in Lab Coats

by Ethan Wu, 13

It’s easy to succumb to climate despair

To say, “I can’t help!” and yank out our hair

But the good news is we may soon savor success

Heroic scientists are now cleaning up our mess

Instead of polluting the air with cars, we are making free green trains

Where people pay their fare by growing produce and enchanting our brains

In Lagos, Nigeria, the people made a huge mistake

The sand from beaches was not theirs to take

They mined the sand, which eroded the shoreline by 84%

It flooded the cities where everyone went

Abashed, they restored the wetlands to restrain the sea

And installed pipes with turbines to generate electricity

In L.A., the people turned parking spaces into land for veg and fruit

17 million square meters of concrete is now where food takes root

In São Paulo, Brazil, scientists are using mushrooms to clean up toxic land

These mushrooms are our clean-up crew as they take our poison in hand

So even though in this country we tend to admire athletes and stars

It’s the scientists who will prevent us from moving to Mars