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The Threat of Pollution to Our World

By Gabbi TerBeest (11 years old) | Spring 2025 Inspire(d)

Future Focused: Listening to the Next Generation. A new Inspire(d) column written by pre-teens and teens, to help give the next generation a chance to voice their opinions.

What are your predictions for the future?

Gabbi TerBeest’s thoughts on the future:

The future could be phenomenal. It could also be a complete failure. This is our decision; your decision. Will we work together to relieve pollution, global warming, and how judgmental we as people can be to other citizens in society? Or will we keep the world how it is, or possibly make it worse? 

Illustrations by Roxie Nichols

Because currently, the CO2 levels are way too high. Sea levels are rising, and while that may benefit some species, it makes it nearly impossible for some other species to survive; I mean, consider how the polar bears are doing.

Let’s think about the positives of the future. If we can think about what we do before we act – like don’t throw that Mt. Dew plastic bottle into the garbage – and instead recycle, compost, and persist, the future could look bright. If we accept each other and cooperate, we could live in harmony, in a beautiful world that’s good for all human beings. We could make sure that we aren’t driving everywhere. We could walk, bike… possibly even roller skate, for Pete’s sake, to places that we can get to without a car. 

Lots of companies are making electric cars now, too, which are much better for the CO2 levels. Our air could be so much cleaner. Hopefully other companies go along with this brilliant idea and lower the price of these vehicles so people can afford them. I for sure do not want to grow up and live in a world that isn’t healthy or sustainable to be living in. I pray that we are able to shape this world into a better place before it turns out to be too late.  

If we don’t work together to build a better world, a better life for us and our future generations, this globe and future we have carefully put together, piece by piece, could dissolve into a trillion pieces. Literally and figuratively. These gas levels, global warming, sea levels, and anything you could think of will tear our civilization as we know it apart, and eventually, it won’t look good for us and devastating things could happen to animals, plants, and our environment. 

This future we have could be phenomenal. It could also be a complete failure. This is our decision. So, make it a good one.


Gabbi TerBeest


Gabbi TerBeest is a sixth grader at Decorah Middle School (Spring 2025). She’s passionate about many things, including food, (especially tacos,) reading, music… and writing!

          Editor’s Note: Wanting to give the next generation an opportunity to share their voices, we have expanded the Future Focused section of Inspire(d) to include new writers! Partnering with Dana Hogan, the Extended Learning Program teacher at Decorah Middle School, we offered up a variety of prompts like, “What are your predictions for the future?” “What do you wish adults understood about you?” and also shared the Spring 2025 issue’s theme of tackling challenges and facing fears. Students submitted work, did edits, and three were chosen for this print issue of Inspire(d). Check them all out here! Here’s to Listening to the Next Generation!

    – Inspire(d) Editor-in-Chief Aryn Henning Nichols

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