Ray-Chill

Rachel Fenn 18 years old University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Environmental Science and Chemistry Major

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Dance. Or dance not. There is no try.

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Let’s answer the call.

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Together We Can Protect our Global Communities and Our Environment.

By changing a view simple ways to our daily life, we can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide we emit into the atmosphere and start to fight Climate Change in our own households. It is important that we take responsibility for our actions to protect our environment and our global community from the threats Climate Change can cause. Although Climate Change is a large issue, by changing our ways to become more eco-friendly, we contribute to solving the problem. Scientists cannot solve it alone, so let’s solve the problem together. By fighting Climate Change, we not only reduce the negative effects of Climate Change, but reduce the risks for other environmental risks such as air pollution and waste buildup. If Climate Change is reduced, or even stopped, we are avoiding pressing threats to our health, economy and the environment. Today, many areas of the world and many communities of the world are suffering the wrath of Climate Change. Become an active member of the environmental community and reduce your carbon footprint on a daily basis to protect the environment and protect global communities. Make a change. 

Source:

"Climate Change and Making Your Home Eco-Friendly [Infographic]." Infographic Journal. Infographic Journal, 25 Sept. 2014. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.

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Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Foot Print to Reduce Climate Change

·      Walk or ride a bicycle to places that are close by

·      Carpool

·      Turn off the lights when you leave the room

·      Used energy efficient appliances

·      Unplug appliances when not using them

·      Recycle to reduce waste

·       Reduce meat consumption

 By making these changes to your home, you can significantly reduce the amount of carbon that you release into the atmosphere on a daily basis. Although it does not seem like much, reducing the carbon that is released into the atmosphere can add up and ultimately will lead to a significant decrease. By becoming more environmentally conscious in our homes, we can make a difference. Solving Climate Change is not up for scientists. We, as citizens of the global community, can take part in fighting Climate Change by reducing our carbon footprint in our own homes and everyday lives. If we make these changes in our lives, more people will start to notice and make the same changes and this will create a chain reaction. The more people that start reducing their carbon foot print, the less carbon emissions are emitted into our atmosphere that lead to Climate Change. By working together to reduce our carbon foot prints, we can stop Climate Change. Let us take matters into our own hands.

Source:

"Climate Change and Sustainable Energy." United Nations Foundation. United Nations Foundation, n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.

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Fixing Climate Change is like Cleaning Your Room, Annoying, but Necessary.

 IMPORTANT NOTE: This video contains explicit language.

 In David Mitchell’s soapbox, Mitchell confronts Climate Change for what it really is. Climate Change is a serious issue that is negatively impacting our world and we, as members of the global community need to start to fix what we created. The video takes a realistic and humorous spin on Climate Change, which allows the video to be more relatable to viewers. Taking this approach will cause more viewers to understand the responsibility we have in taking care of the place we live in. Mitchell is critical towards environmentalists by stating that a positive look on Climate Change is not the most effective way to persuade people to act on Climate Change. Realistically, reducing use of fossil fuels and switching to alternative energy will be a difficult and long road to embark on. Fossil fuels have many advantages, such as their energy efficient, and our economy relies on fossil fuels to drive industries around the world. Switching over to alternative energy will be difficult, but will lead the world to becoming more sustainable and will also address the issues that Climate Change imposes on the natural world. Like discontinuing the use of fossil fuels, taking part in solving Climate Change will not necessarily be “fun” either. Mitchell compares reducing carbon emissions to cleaning up your bedroom—annoying, but necessary. Realistically Climate Change is a gloomy issue that negatively effects everything on Earth. There is no true benefit resulting from Climate Change and a future with Climate Change can be a dark one. Instead of environmentalists trying to persuade people through optimism, environmentalists should take a realistic approach toward persuading people to act on Climate Change. By using a realistic approach people can relate to the issue, admit it is a problem and start to fix the problem. It may not necessarily be fun to reduce your carbon footprint during your daily life, but it is necessary to save the planet and preserve it for future generations. Mitchell’s approach to convincing the public to participate in reducing carbon emissions is relatable and by using facts—undeniable. Yes, cleaning your room is not fun, but it is necessary to keep the place that we live clean—just like our environment. So get ready to tidy up your room and tidy up the environment!

 Source:

Mitchell, David. "Climate Change | David Mitchell's SoapBox UPDATE." YouTube. YouTube, 23 Sept. 2014. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.

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Climate Change Needs External Pushes

 Studies have shown that temperatures around the Earth will stay constant unless they are tampered with from external pushes. These external forces encompass human interactions, such as increased concentration of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. The study was done by analyzing climate models with the amount of energy changes at Earth’s atmosphere. The data from the study allowed scientists to clearly identify what the Earth’s natural processes are for changes in energy and how they relate to temperature. From the past, scientists have evaluated that through a theory called Planck Response, the Earth can maintain its temperature through releasing infrared energy as the Earth becomes warmer. In recent studies, this theory is not enough to explain Earth’s processes. Although Plank Response takes part in the overall temperatures constant, there are different effects that impact local temperatures. But, these processes that maintain temperatures on Earth are in lack of forces that change the atmosphere. If there are forces that are acted upon the atmosphere, the processes in which the Earth undergoes may change, and thus; the processes that keep temperatures at equilibrium may not work the same way. This study’s conclusions are important because it is clear evidence that Climate Change is not a natural process. This will provide evidence to those who believe that Climate Change is a naturally occurring process that the Earth needs to undergo. By providing more evidence to support Climate Change, more people and political leaders will become more active in fighting Climate Change. This could start more of a movement across the globe to address Climate Change by reducing carbon emissions and other pollutants that are changing the composition of our atmosphere.

 Sources:

"Study: Long-term Global Warming Needs External Drivers." Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet. NASA, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2016.

 "CK-12 Foundation." CK-12 Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2016.

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Droughts in the Eastern Mediterranean are Getting Worse Possibly Due to Climate Change.

 The eastern Mediterranean has experienced the worst drought in the past nine centuries due to Climate Change. NASA tracked the Mediterranean’s history of droughts through tree rings that allow the scientists to see the shifts of water in the given area. These studies can also give information on the effects that caused the droughts specifically. Although, to fully understand if the droughts are caused by human interaction, the climate variability must be determined. So, if the climate deviates from the variability in the past, scientists can clearly confirm that the droughts are caused by human interaction from Climate Change. The rings from the tree allowed scientists to recognize the harshness and regularity of the droughts, so the average drought and deviation can be determined. Studies found that from 1998 to 2012 the droughts were fifty percent drier than in the past five-hundred years. It is predicted that in the future, from the ramifications of Climate Change, the middle east will become drier then ever before. These droughts can cause significant problems to the region. Droughts can cause conflict in the region for water. This can become a significant problem for the people in the regions by causing more people to die from the conflict. Also, many times with water conflict can cause the people in poverty receive less water than the wealthier people. This causes a large distribution between the social classes. By researching drought history and understanding the effects that Climate Change has on droughts, scientists are able to start protecting those regions from becoming drier—ultimately avoiding the ramifications of drought caused by Climate Change.

Source:

Gray, Ellen. "Drought in Eastern Mediterranean Worst of past 900 Years." Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet. NASA, n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2016.

"Drought." Weather Wiz Kids. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2016.

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Saving the Coral Reefs from Climate Change.

  Coral reefs are a delicate ecosystem that could have major negative effects on the species that inhabits it if the area is disturbed. Climate Change is negatively impacting many coral reefs due to coral bleaching. First, let us define coral bleaching. Coral bleaching is when coral reefs loose their pigment because zooxanthellae have been released from the coral. Zooxanthellae is a type of algae that lives in the coral’s tissue and are vital to the corals existence. Much of the coral that undergoes bleaching die out due to the loss of Zooxanthellae. As the climate has been changing over the past couple years, bleaching has occurred more often, which has caused more reefs to die out due to bleaching. Bleaching of the coral reefs is just one negative effect that Climate Change has caused on the natural world. Although, scientists are unsure of what is directly causing the bleaching. In effort to save the coral reefs from bleaching, a coral reef response index was created to discover which reefs are effected by bleaching. By discovering the species that are more valuable to bleaching, scientists can attempt to protect these species of coral, so there are less coral reefs that perish. An interesting to question to ask is how the index is able to show which species are susceptible to bleaching. The index channels vulnerability through thermal stress and labels each species from one to one-hundred where one is the most susceptible to bleaching. This is a substantial step toward protecting many coral reefs from elimination. Many people do not know that coral reefs are a very important ecosystem that is a home to many organisms in the ocean. In fact, the United Nations Environment Programme states that coral reefs hold about one quarter of all marine fish in the ocean. These fish provide income for over 500 million people across the world. This shows that although the coral reefs may seem insignificant, they are a huge part of the ecosystem and our economy. By eliminating these coral reefs, we are threatening not only the species that live in the coral reefs, but we are also threatening the lives of other marine species that have a relationship with the coral reefs and the species that live within them. When the coral reefs die out, the issue is magnified. Not to mention the impact that the loss will have on the economy. Without the coral reefs, many people may lose their jobs. Currently, half of the world’s coral is represented in the global index and more are to be added to the list. By adding more to the list, scientists can evaluate more of the coral that is susceptible to bleaching. The more species that are known about, the more reefs can be protected from the effects of Climate Change. In the mean time, citizens over the globe should due their part in lessening the effects of Climate Change by reducing our carbon footprint. Let’s stop coral bleaching and Climate Change together. Save the coral reefs.         

Source:

"Genetics Might Be Able to save the World's Coral Reefs | Genetic Literacy Project." Genetic Literacy Project. N.p., 08 Mar. 2016. Web. 14 Apr. 2016.

"Using Data to Protect Coral Reefs from Climate Change." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 13 Apr. 2016. Web. 14 Apr. 2016.

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A Way Forward: Facing Climate Change

Explore the global impact of climate change and its devastating effects—and learn what scientists suggest in response—in this short documentary film from National Geographic and the UN Foundation.

Education is Key to Fighting Combat Change and National Geographic has Stepped Up to the Challenge.

Climate Change is a real and prevalent issue. It does not matter whether you are from the United States, China, Australia, or Brazil every where and everyone around the world is experiencing the negative effects of Climate Change. It is time for us, as citizens of the global community to step up to the plate and work together to start fighting the effects. We can not just leave the problem for scientists to solve and we cannot wait any longer—we need to act now. Almost every citizen of the global community contributes to Climate Change and if we are able to start such a large problem, we can end such a large problem. The first step to take to counter Climate Change is education. People need to understand what Climate Change is, how it effects the world and how it effects our own communities. Once we start to truly understand the issue of Climate Change, we can start to become involved and implement practices that will help combat Climate Change into our everyday life. This short video by National Geographic provides vital information and key facts that will help educate the general public on the importance of Climate Change. One important element that makes this video perfect for education is that it stays objective. The video presents the latest accepted facts and theories behind Climate Change and clearly explains why it is threatening our planet. By presenting facts, the video becomes less argumentative and more informative, which allows less viewers to object to the information and more viewers to act on the issue. Another key element to the video is how they encompass different effects that Climate Change causes and what the issue is likely to cause in the future. Depending on your location in the world there are different negative effects that are occurring such as droughts or flooding. This is not only an issue for the environment itself, but us the people that are living in it. National Geographic’s video, A Way Forward: Facing Climate Change, is a video has the potential to have a great impact fighting Climate Change by educating everyday people on what this issue is truly threatening. Because this issue is effecting everyone across the globe, it is our job as citizens of the world to start educating our selves on the issue at hand and fight back against the issue that has been created. Education is the first step to fighting Climate Change.

Source:

"A Way Forward: Facing Climate Change." A Way Forward: Facing Climate Change. National Geographic, n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2016.

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NASA Tries to get Everyone on Board for Climate Change

NASA is stepping up to the plate to address Climate Change by contacting leading scientists all around the world about our changing Earth. NASA is running eight campaigns in the next couple months that will taking world renowned scientists around the world to study the effects climate change have on the natural world and how human activities impact these effects. These campaigns not only target scientists, but also appeal to the general public. Anyone can follow the scientific investigations by following NASA’s social media and Earth Expeditions page where there will be videos, pictures, and blog posts that will keep the public informed on the research that is being done. Scientists will work collaboratively with one another by using data, results and models to solve the environmental issues climate change imposes on our environment. Throughout the year NASA will be having multiple research projects that will collectively help us understand the deeper effects of climate change. These projects include air quality research in North Korea, North Atlantic Aerosols and Marine Ecosystem research, or even coral reef studies in Hawaii. The first research project that will be launched is the study of how the ice around Greenland is melting due to the increased temperature in the water surrounding Greenland, which is just one cause from Climate Change and three more campaigns will follow in the summer. This is a huge step for NASA and a huge step for Climate Change. Climate Change is a global issue and needs to be addressed globally. By having scientists collaboratively work not only on the same research projects, but also different research projects will allow data to be collected and analyzed as a whole. This well help these scientists better understand all the effects that Climate Change has on the natural world and how they are all connected to one another. The campaign will also allow the general public to become interested and involved with the problems presented by Climate Change. If NASA allows citizens all around the world to see what scientists are doing to solve this issues of Climate Change, more citizens will become aware, educated and also interested about the issue. This could lead to more people becoming involved with combating Climate Change. Even though one person may not seem like a lot, one person can make a difference to combat Climate Change.

Sources: 

"What We Do: Our Campaigns." Greenpeace Africa. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.

"NASA Gets down to Earth with Globe-spanning Campaigns." Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet. NASA, n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.

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Bill Nye Addresses Climate Change Deniers and Encourages Critical Thinking.

 Bill Nye, commonly known as “Bill Nye the Science Guy”, is a famous actor, writer, and mechanical engineer. In the Big Think video, “Bill Nye to Climate Change Deniers: You Can’t Ignore Facts Forever”, Bill Nye addresses those against Climate Change. One point that Nye strongly focuses upon is that people do not need to be a climatologist to truly understand Climate Change. Critical thinking is the key to understanding Climate Change and other environmental issues that our world faces today. If we are able to critical analyze and process facts that are presented to us by the scientific world, we are able to comprehend any issue and take part in finding a solution. When looking at Climate Change, the central idea can be broken down for almost anyone to comprehend—Carbon Dioxide is being released into the atmosphere, which is causing the Earth to warm at an alarming rate. It is also important to understand the misconceptions about Climate Change as a part of our thinking. The problem regarding Climate Change is not that the Earth has never been this warm and it is not that the Earth has not had this amount of Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere. Climate Change is about the rate at which the temperature and concentrations of Carbon Dioxide is changing. It is our duty as citizens to be aware of the misconceptions and also be educated on the facts, so we cannot be misguided by the media or our own beliefs. The United States is known for its freedom and we, as citizens, have the freedom to have our own beliefs. Although we are entitled to our own beliefs, we should challenge ourselves to believe what is presented by scientific evidence. Our beliefs should not hinder us from solving a problem like Climate Change that threatens our planet. Climate Change is a real and urgent issue and although Bill Nye may not be a climatologist, he does pin-point our duty to not only critically think about the problems we are facing globally, but to be a part of solving the problem.

Source:

Bigthink. "Bill Nye to Climate Change Deniers: You Can't Ignore Facts Forever." YouTube. YouTube, 07 Aug. 2014. Web. 09 Apr. 2016.

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Climate Change Causes Changes in Sea Level.

 The Pacific Ocean is a delicate ecosystem that many species, including humans, rely on.The Pacific Ocean undergoes natural processes such as El Nino and La Nina that case sea levels to shift back and forth between North and South America and Asia. In recent studies, it was shown that Climate Change could be the cause of the more extreme shifts in sea level that have occurred in the Pacific Ocean in the last several years. To be exact, in the last 30 years the Pacific Ocean’s sea levels have raised to three times higher than the sea levels in the previous 30 years. How is Climate Change affecting the sea levels? Because of Climate Change, the ice in the Arctic Zones have been melting and also overall warming the ocean. Scientists are hoping that understanding this correlation will help predict sea level, which would for native communities to be aware of the effects of the rising sea level. These effects may include flooding, erosion, and many other damages to the land. Scientists from NASA found that the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and El Nino climate cycles emphasize or reduce each other in four different ways, which ultimately effects the sea level of the ocean. It was concluded that El Nino and positive Pacific Decadal Oscillation cause high sea levels toward North and South America while La Nina and negative Pacific Decadal Oscillation caused high sea levels toward Asia. Although, it is still unknown if the variability will continue on in the future. Understanding the shifts in the sea level is extremely important. If scientists can start predicting the sea level rises in the future, the coastal communities can prepare for the outcomes. Without these predictions, these communities cannot prepare, which could cause major damages for ecosystems and towns. For example, without preparation, flooding can cause major damages to infrastructure in coastal areas resulting in costs worth millions of dollars. With better understanding of the future sea level shifts, coastal communities can be better protected.

Sources:

Buis, Alan. "Dueling Climate Cycles May Increase Sea Level Swings." Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet. NASA, 14 Mar. 2016. Web. 07 Apr. 2016.

"What to Expect from El Niño | EarthSky.org." EarthSky. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2016.

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Ice in the Artic Sea is lower than ever due to Climate Change.

For the last two years, the Arctic ice in the ocean has been at its all time low. The maximum extent of the ice for 2015 was 5.612 million square miles followed in 2016 by 2.607 million square miles. Although this may be a small difference of 0.50 million square miles, the ice has been decreasing significantly. The 13 lowest extents of ice have occurred in the last 13 years. This shows that the temperatures in the winter season of the Arctic region have been significantly warmer in the last several years than they have been before. The temperature in the Arctic region in 2016 were 10 degrees higher than the average temperature in the winter. This can be a result of Climate Change. Seeing the trend in the last 13 years, the temperature will most likely continue to increase, which would result in less ice extent in the sea due to it being too warm for ice formation. Why is the Arctic ice important? The Arctic sea helps keep Earth’s temperature preserved. Due to the light color of the ice, the ice reflects the light from the sun, in contrast, the ocean has a dark color, which would absorb the light. So by changing the surface of the Arctic Sea, the absorption of the light changes, and when the absorption of the light changes. When the sea water is warmer than the air, the sea warms the air and the surface of the Earth. It is important to take note of this change in the Arctic to recognize the effect of Climate Change. To help find a solution, all the effects of Climate Change must be addressed.

Source: 

Vinas, Maria-Jose. "2016 Arctic Sea Ice Wintertime Extent Hits Another Record Low." Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet. NASA, 28 Mar. 2016. Web. 07 Apr. 2016.

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Carbon emissions have been a major effect on climate change. Recently, China and the United States- two of the largest carbon emission producers—have decided to address climate change together. China declared it’s goal to use more carbonless energy then coal power for the very first time toward fighting climate change. The United State’s goal to fight climate change was to reduce carbon emissions below 2005 by 26 to 28 percent by 2025. On March 31, 2015, the U.S. declared that they will drop 17% below the 2005 carbon emission concentrations in 2020.  This is important due to the fact that in 2011, the U.S produced 16% of carbon emissions in the entire world. (Boden, 2015) Because the United States is a primary producer, cutting down the carbon emissions by over one-fourth will not only have a significant reduce to the overall amounts of carbon emissions produced, but will also motivate other countries to reduce their carbon emissions as well—like China. The U.S. can have a significant impact on climate change not just by addressing it themselves, but leading other countries to address their impact on climate change. Climate change is not an issue that one country can handle on its own—it is a global issue. Climate change effects all countries around the world, whether they are the leading producer of carbon dioxide or the smallest producer of carbon emission, it will continue to damage ecosystems world wide. With the statement of the United States, countries producing the equivalent for one-half of the total carbon emissions have also stated their plan to fight climate change in 2020 and beyond.

Sources:

Deese, Brian. "We're Taking Action on Climate Change - and the World Is Joining Us." Medium. N.p., 31 Mar. 2015. Web. 05 Apr. 2016.

"Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data." Global Emissions. EPA, 23 Feb. 2016. Web. 05 Apr. 2016.

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