Climate Change "Stories"

To better educate and engage the public, environmental organizations like Climate Wisconsin, Facing Climate Change, and Aspect have begun recording digital climate change “stories” as told by local residents. The goal for filmmakers is to create a relatable, contextualized narrative around climate change that will encourage dialogue and inspire action.

Though WI is know for its brutal winters, extreme heat is responsible for more deaths in the state than all other weather disasters combined.

In Wisconsin, higher than average temperatures year-round are curtailing ice fishing in Madison, and fly fishing in Viroqua. Across the Atlantic in Cornwall, England, surfing enthusiasts complain that they are now more prone to ear and other infections as heavy rainfall regularly overwhelms waste drainage systems causing toxins and sewage to spill into the sea.

Local industry is also feeling the sting of climate change. In Idaho, declining mountain top snow pack is resulting in a reduced stream of fresh water feeding the Columbia River Basin, which has caused the closure of several potato farms that rely on the river to irrigate their crop.  In Washington State, oyster and clam farming is quickly becoming unviable due to the rising acidity of the ocean off the Pacific Northwest coast.

From the inability to take part in recreational activities to threatening local economies, it is clear that the effects of climate change are becoming palpable. What's your climate story?

Check out these awesome projects:

Climate Wisconsin: Stories From a State of Change
Facing Climate Change: Stories from the Pacific Northwest 
Aspect (UK)

Be sure to check out our website devoted to The Great Immensity for more interesting projects that explore the intersection of art + science + activism. 

Visualizing Climate Change: The HighWaterLine

Climate change is a downright abstract concept to get your head around. The science is complicated, the effects are broad yet nuanced, and not everyone will be impacted in the same way. So, what is an impactful way to represent the dangers posed by climate change that everyone can understand?

One project is raising eyebrows by literally drawing a line through the community. The HighWaterLine is a visual representation of projected, future sea-level rise as a result of global warming and more frequent and stronger storms and storm surges. Using various media, such as a blue chalk outline, or even a human chain, a revised flood zone based on current climate data is delineated within an urban/suburban area, bringing the reality of a warming planet home to local residents.

HighWaterLine | NYC, Brooklyn, 2007 Attribute: Hose Cedeno

The HighWaterLine is the brainchild of NYC-based artist, Eve Mosher, who initially based the project on climate change data contained within a NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies report issued in 2001. Having read the report and witnessing a watered-down response from public officials, Ms. Mosher was determined to take matters into her own hands.

After nearly eight months of research and planning, Ms. Mosher installed the first iteration of The HighWaterLine in August 2007 along 70 miles of coastline in Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan, demarcating the 10 foot about sea level rise with a 4-inch wide blue chalk line.

To encourage others to replicate the project in their own communities, Ms. Mosher devised a HighWaterLine “Action Guide,” in essence a simplified toolkit of knowledge bites and best practices, to ensure easy replication of the project elsewhere. 

Be sure to check out our website devoted to The Great Immensity for more interesting projects that explore the intersection of art + science + activism. 

Climate Models!

 

 

These fascinating climate models are from http://www.gfdl.noaa.gov/visualization to help us visualize the future of the planet. They show the relationship of surface air temperature and sea-ice cover from 1860 through to 2100. Watch as the sea ice disappears and the earth heats up (by a lot)! We worked with these models as part of a recent reading of THE GREAT IMMENSITY!

Global Warming Reporting - Research in connection with THE GREAT IMMENSITY

Every winter, it seems the continued existence of snow reinvigorates global warming skeptics, or at least reminds the mainstream media of their existence. The Washington Post felt compelled to preface their coverage of recent findings on the effects of melting polar ice caps with a paragraph disclaimer about that week's weather; USA Today included an opposing POV from the libertarian Cato Institute in their article about 2010 being tied for the hottest year in recorded history.

Does this vocal fringe movement deserve a continued voice? Is journalistic neutrality more important than the scientific truth? Did the recent blizzards make even you doubt global warming a little, and are you familiar with the recency effect? According to Wiki, it is the tendency "to recall items that were at the end of a list rather than items that were in the middle of a list" and is also compatible with the peak-end rule. Here is a website where you can test your own susceptibility to the effect!

Post by Laura Shapiro