When Fictions Becomes Real

Many of you know that I started this blog at the same time I was working on my middle-grade novel for kids ages 8-12. The book, titled Earth Rescue, looks at a dystopian world fifty years in our future. In the book, Planet Survival Rules, which forbid being outside or eating real food, are implemented after the melt of the Arctic ice leaves the air too toxic to breathe. The fun part of the story is when a boy named Jax makes it his personal quest to get another day outside.

Originally, I chose carbon dioxide for the threatening gas in my story, but eventually switched to methane (generally, a lesser known greenhouse gas) after learning more about the potential for harm if global warming continues. Under the Arctic ice are dead plants and if they thaw, large amounts of methane will be released into the air. The story sounded plausible enough to write, but certainly isn't something I'm predicting.

Unfortunately, today's science news is all about new studies showing this release of methane from the Arctic permafrost may already be happening. The research is still in its early stages, but it does show that methane levels are about three times higher (2 parts per million) over the Arctic Ice Shelf than in other parts of the world (0.6 or 0.7 parts per million).

It makes me debate the category for my book again... fiction? non-fiction? I'm keeping it fiction and doing my part to make sure the world keeps it that way too!