11 minute read
Pick up trash wherever you see it! Litter
FEATURE F rom blazing forests to drowning shorelines, climate change is affecting regions across the world. With long, dry summers and snow-free winters in the forecast for the Pacific Northwest, fire season is expected to increase in duration and complexity as the impacts of global warming begin to be felt. The extent of climate change extends far beyond what is seen in the media or even felt by the public. The Pacific Northwest is experiencing a great shift in climate, along with the rest of the world, that has yet to be seen, but is happening nonetheless.
An estimated 25 people have died in the Australian wildfires since they began burning in late December 2019, and over 25 million acres of land have been burnt in the blaze. Many factors have contributed to the size of the conflagration.
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“Australia’s wildfire resources are predominantly volunteer fire services which can be very challenging when they experience these extreme conditions,” Darian Davis, Seattle Public Utilities’ Wildland Fire Crew Boss, said. The relative inexperience of the people fighting the fires can lead to greater spread of fire and higher rates of property damage than if experienced firefighters were on the scene. However, the impact of dry summers and strong winds should not be overlooked.
“Summertime fires are the direct effect of low rainfall and hot temperatures drying out the vegetation,” Eric Salathè, associate professor in the school of STEM at the University of Washington Bothell, said. Warmer seasons and decreased rainfall dry out vegetation. When fires start, the dry vegetation burns easier than wet, green plants.
Here in the Pacific Northwest, fires are only a small piece of the growing threat of climate change.
“There are a number of impacts that climate change will have on the region. These will not all emerge at the same time and with the same severity. Some impacts are likely unavoidable due to the amount of climate change already committed by current emissions; some are avoidable if we reduce emissions,” Salathè said. The Puget Sound region can expect a multitude of changes on the social, economic, and environmental levels.
“Snowpack in the mountains is clearly changing as the temperature warms,” Salathè said. Reduced snowpack means that Washington will receive less substantial snowfall and more rain in the winter, causing flooding and erosion.
Additionally, Washington will receive too little rainfall in the summer, leading to drinking water shortages and decreased salmon migration. Decreased rainfall in the summer also indicates dryer brush and increased wildfires for the region.
“Because the climate is continually warming, we are at risk of heat waves way outside the normal experience,” Salathè said. The Pacific Northwest is expected to have days over 90°F more frequently as the planet warms. When the temperature rises, at-risk populations experience higher rates of mortality. Most buildings in Seattle aren’t equipped with air conditioning or other sources of heat management, creating potentially dangerous situations for people with health issues and the homeless. Increased atmospheric temperatures can also affect stream temperatures. This can be detrimental to Washington’s wildlife as salmon can’t survive and reproduce in streams over 68°F. Salmon are a critical part of the food web in Washington and without them many species such as birds, bears, and whales can’t survive.
Washington is likely not going to be hit the hardest by climate change. Extreme weather events such as those in Australia and Venice will be more severe in other places due to their vulnerable natures. Washington’s mild climate insultes it from extreme deviations in temperature. Because of this, however, Washington is likely to become a safe haven from climate crises around the world. This could potentially cause additional stress to be put on the limited resources of the area, and could cause social conflict.
“Our region is likely to be a haven from climate change as impacts are probably less here than [in] many places in the world. This could drive a lot of migration into the region and all the social and economic issues that come with it,” Salathè said.
The climate crisis, as imminent as it seems, is not unstoppable. If people decide to take real action, the effects can be mitigated, if not completely undone.
“We want to encourage people to do both individual actions and advocate for systemic change,” Dr. Rachel Petrik-Finley, Garfield’s AP Environmental Science teacher, said. If both individuals change the ways they behave (taking personal steps towards sustainability) and governments are forced to change the way they behave (creating meaningful climate policy), we can alter the trajectory of climate change around the world.
“Every little bit we do to reduce emissions makes the problem easier to cope with,” Salathè said. The resounding consensus is that “it’s not too late to stop climate change, but everyone needs to step up to make it happen.” Climate change in the Pacific Northwest and around the world. THE WORLD ON FIRE Article and Graphics by Angelina Lopez
8 GO GREEN! By guest writers and club, The Green Team
“I cannot do all the good the world needs but the world needs all the good I can do.”— Jana Stanfield
While many of you are busy with school, work, sports, and more, there is always more you can do to be more sustainable. Here are a few tips to reduce your environmental impact and be good to Mama Earth!
1. Sort your trash and food waste properly. If you’re curious about how to do so, talk to a Green Team officer or reference graphics around the school and online. 2. Bring your own reusable water bottle wherever you go. 3. Bus, bike or walk to school and other places whenever possible. 4. Eat less meat and more plants! 5. Think before you buy—avoid impulse purchases that will receive little-to-no use. Try waiting a day, week, or month before you buy something to prevent unnecessary consumption. 6. Pick up trash wherever you see it! Littering hurts our earth. 7. Ditch fast fashion! Buy second hand (thrift stores, clothing swaps, etc.) and opt for clothes that are sustainable and longlasting. 8. Turn off or unplug appliances when not in use.
The real issues are systematic and should not be the responsibility of the consumer. But you have power as an individual! You can still protest, vote, call representatives, engage in politics, and strive to make a lasting change! Xoxo, Your Green Team Officers
P.S. Green Team meets Mondays at lunch in Room 235!
P.P.S. All above is true, but also requires money and time—which not everyone has. We understand that this country has deep socioeconomic divides, and that some people will face greater barriers than others in following our advice on sustainability. But do what you can and remember that it takes constant practice. Don’t feel pressured into feeling guilty or personally responsible for climate change. Saving the Earth requires shifts in global perspectives that are beyond our control. What we can do is realize our own ability to make change, to rise up, to ferociously fight for what we believe in—whatever that means for you. Good luck out there :)
With each passing year, Seattle becomes more and more unlivable. Housing costs are rising, the population is growing, and there are not enough homes being built to accommodate this growth.
With such demand for high-density housing, developers should be eager to build new apartments across the city, yet they aren’t. The reason? Zoning restrictions. Currently, 81% of residential land in Seattle is zoned for detached single-family homes. This means that in the majority of Seattle, it’s illegal to build large apartments be- c a u s e of zoning restrictions. An idea that has gained traction lately is upzoning: the process of converting low-density neighborhoods into higher-density neighborhoods by changing zoning codes. In late 2018, Minneapolis passed their Minneapolis 2040 plan to upzone the city. Last year, Oregon legislators passed a bill that effectively removed singlefamily zoning entirely.
In Seattle, the push for upzoning has had some success. Seattle’s city council passed a package of housing bills called the Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) program in March of 2019. Along with other reforms, MHA included plans to upzone parts of Seattle.
MHA has received harsh criticism from Seattle homeowners who don’t want their white-picket-fence ideal of housing threatened. This “Not in my Backyard” (NIMBY) crowd has raised complaints that upzoning will ruin their neighborhoods with loud construction noises and obscured views. Some NIMBY homeowners have made more absurd arguments against upzoning. Earlier this month, Dori Monson of Kiro Radio called upzoning “a Socialist plan to take a w a y private property in Seattle,” despite the fact that it is actually reducing market regulation—the opposite of socialism.
Anyone who lives in or around central Seattle has likely gotten used to apartments springing up around the neighborhood, but if you live in a place l i k e Ballard, Magnolia, or R a v e n n a , chances a r e that upzoning could drastically change the way your neighborhood looks. It’s understandable that some people might find this daunting; change is hard. But realize this: if you oppose this change you are making a statement that your neighborhood matters more to you than the growing number of people who have either left Seattle or become homeless because they have been priced out of living here.
The NIMBY crowd is not the only group that is preventing progress on affordable It’s time to make this city taller. GROW UP, SEATTLE By Matt Lord
n Multi-family zoned n Single-family zoned MAP KEY
housing. Ironically, the MHA program itself includes a policy that is counterproductive to its stated goal.
“Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) ensures that growth brings affordability,” says the official Seattle.gov page for the program. “MHA requires new development to include affordable homes or contribute to a City fund for affordable housing.”
This statement is an oversimplification of what MHA actually does. First of all, “affordable homes” refers specifically to rentcontrolled units, which are problematic on their own. In addition, the alternative for new developers essentially allows them to avoid making their new units rent-controlled by instead paying a fee towards a mysterious fund “for affordable housing.” Developers who choose to opt out of rent limits will take a financial hit, making larger apartments infeasible. Developers who make their new projects rent-controlled will be discouraged from making improvements that they would otherwise pay for with rent increases, and the majority will find that it is most profitable in the long term to simply sell and convert these rentcontrolled apartments into condominiums. Regardless of whether new developers choose to make their units rent-controlled or opt out by paying the fee, this policy effectively acts as a tax on development, discouraging the very thing that MHA was supposed to promote.
Another issue is that MHA simply doesn’t upzone enough of Seattle. 94% of single-family zoned areas are unaffected by the upzones. For comparison, the upzoning bills passed in Minneapolis and Oregon affected all single-family zoned neighborhoods, not just 6% of them.
There’s no doubt that the Seattle City Council has good intentions, and the Mandatory Housing Affordability program is an example of a step in the right direction for Seattle. But if the goal is to make living in Seattle affordable, more must be done. We need to upzone everything. Seattle is a city hemmed in by two bodies of water. We cannot grow outwards; we must grow up. I do not like finals. Sometimes they are hard, and that is not very fun. I hope that there are no more finals. That would be more fun. F-word finals. All my homies hate finals.
-ST To be honest, I don’t have a strong opinion in regards to finals. Being a senior, I have just accepted the fact that final exams are something that cannot be avoided. However, I will say this: I just want to give a huge shoutout to my freshman year health teacher, Mr. — . You have no idea the relief I felt, knowing I was going to get at least one question on the health exam correct: Pubic lice are now being declared as the United State’s national pet: True/False. Mr. —, it is teachers like you that remind me there are still some educators that do want their students to succeed.
-GS
FINALS EDITION
In my four years at Garfield, I have suffered through countless “fun” assignments. I filmed a game show for Spanish 4, drew a graphic novel for English 9, and built a website for AP Lang. In World Lit, I illustrated a poem and designed a book cover. In World History, I even built a 3D rendition of the Ajanta Caves in Minecraft. Project-based assessment is absurd. It forces us to waste time on art and design rather than thoroughly studying the material. It gives a direct advantage to wealthy students who can afford to buy fancy supplies. Worst of all, it opens the door to rampant cheating. In my Spanish class, for example, some students used Google Translate to skate through every project.
To ensure that students are actually learning, teachers should assess their students through a good, old-fashioned final exam. In the exam room, students have no way to contact outside help, hide behind group members, or ask for an extension. So bring on the finals! Make them big and make them challenging. It’s for our own good.
-MP
Our next topic will be:
DRY CEREAL Have strong feelings about this topic? Send in your 100-150 words Rant or Rave about the topic to garfieldmessenger@gmail.com by March 18 for the chance to be published in the next issue!
