OMENS of our future
Photo By: Pete Williamson
Coal Power Plant Cartoon Clipart is liscensed for personal use by pinclipart.com
Table of Contents
6 8 12 14 18 20 24
Letter to the editors
Trouble in the Pedernales Tips for Saving the Envirorment
Politics and Climate Change in the US
Americans Views on Climate Change
How the World will become Green and Clean
How Renewable Energy is the Future Omens 5
Letter From The Editors Ryder is a freshman at LASA highschool who plays soccer. He is a self proclaimed expert of whipped cream. His ASF is tips that the everyday person can use to reduce their carbon footprint. His feature story is about a salamander in need that is in danger of going extinct in our very own state of Texas He is very passionate about climate change and it is a dream of his to someday be able to work to fix it with others who think it is just as important as he does.
Matthew Thurman is a freshman at LASA. While not an Austin native, he has called it home for most of his life. Matthew enjoys listening to and making music, playing basketball, ultimate frisbee, and sleeping. His favorite food is fried chicken sandwhiches. His favorite place to visit is El Paso, Texas where much of his family lives. Matthew is passionate about climate change and politics. As a Texas native he has strong opinions about Texas policy and government. He hopes to be part of the change that will solve climate change and other major issues of the world.
Omens 6
Deven is a member of the band and plays the french horn. Deven’s life is practically exploding but he manages to survive. Barely. He was extremely passionate about his part in this magazine. His ASF is about renewable energy and how it will help the future. He slightly enjoys biology and science, and loves the environment at LASA. He would like to go into a profession of photography, but he would also like to find something he is excited about and pursue that. He believes that climate change is a very serious issue and would like to be a part of the solution.
Celia Chen is a freshman at LASA with a creative mind and is a self-proclaimed bad writer. Celia has lived in Austin as long as she can remember. Celia is a member of the orchestra at LASA and an avid pop music fan. She has two dogs Coco and Jarjar that lift her spirits day after day. Celia is a proffesional procrastinator but will work hard on things she is passionate about. Celia is passionate about helping the environment by taking shorter showers. But for real, she believes Climate Change is a real threat to our future and has changed things in her life to help combat it.
Trouble in the -Pedernales-
Photo By: Don J Schulte https://www.flickr.com/photos/29392873@ N07/3627379794
Omens 8
Are you worried about climate change? It can be very overwhelming to think about, but it is important to not be paralized in fear of what is to come. Even in the worst of times people must live on. You must have hope for what is to come and stay positive. There are many things being done at the moment to help slow climate change and many ways you yourself can help. One of the ways that Bill Bunch, executive director at the Save our Springs Alliance, is inspiring hope for the future is species preservation. In Austin, Texas, Bill Bunch is on a quest
to save the Pedernales Salamander, one of Texas’s native freshwater species that is at risk. The salamander lives in an extremely limited area consisting of 10 sections all along the Pedernales River. Because of this limited range it is important to protect the few environments that it does live in. The Pedernales’ is a cousin species to the Barton Springs and Austin Blind salamanders , which are already classified as endangered species. Another close relative to the Pedernales salamander, the San Marcos Gambusia, has recent
Top: https://www.sosalliance.org/news/local-scientists-conservation-advocates-seek-endangered-status-for-pedernales-river-springs-salamander iM ddle Lefl: https://www.facebook.com/tripstodiscover.TX/photos/p.330988133940071/330988133940071/?type=1&opaqueCursor=Abo3Yut00PTMgq6d-K2q-PBH7ZLhe0xU8uopMDvM ob65uZ Ag2Dl5uZ 653P
d K dFzJmNCcWC4ALb3ELDRQ_8_vaSGDQFHMdEMy7c_yesPzT7lsf7VR5bDYJQwFe_-qsHgQDvTKNtcht6ov6Ewzio3fA2F4rX9_v5hHPyJa0ENz08BqfRFKElmb-a5OoA7LtJZ8v29xRzWgbMi3l9-4MQdsxLNrdt7YtY n_ e937-_S-PYasxDsfxyd6UJSYbU-wDtkMwbWbIMEy0Kffiw94ISxJ45kiZ_wAdrU5nR62YcAeeHv0ztqpQem44panyQ68FEDSzdSHtvovO2XIdWnOmVyLOw X qMK Dj2jBN-qJpxt4fmNbUlo9C2FnvlRXGNoywQnu4Lq9BkD0b kZuIRJIhAk-ghiHRrJSGOy6dPl8HnC9g35AUKpQ&theater
iM ddle Right: Tom Devitt Bottom: https://communitynotcommodity.com/2017/10/23/bill-bunch-save-springs-supports-community-not-commodity-opposes-codenext/
~~~~~~~~ Everybody, young people, old people, everybody in between, really ought to be pushing the United States Congress to adopt climate change legislation ~~~~~~~~
Omens 9
-
ly gone extinct due to human grow and produce seaweed. As left open. So if you think about activity near the lake where Lead Senior Scientist of Oceans it, it’s not even like this crazy it lives. The accumulation of Emerging Issues at the EDF problem that requires a lot of pollution and lack of groundwaRod Fujita put it, “We know that engineering to find the solution, ter was probably what ended up seaweed is it’s just that finishing off the fish. The fish among the someone for~~~~~~~~~~~ was first discovered in 1969, best support got to close the I want to have children and it’s and last seen in the wild in 1982. organisms hatch.” We have a really difficult question for That’s a 13 year difference beon the planet the technolome as a climate scientists between when we found a species at absorbgy available to and how long it took us to kill ing carbon cause first of all, I know that the solve the probit. It is examples like this that dioxide and growing population contributed lem, we just show the true effect that huthey phototo some of the problems I know don’t have the mans have on the environment, synthesize motivation as a that if I have a child, they will and the damage we can cause if more rapidspecies to solve be experiencing so many more it. This is the we abuse or misuse our power. ly than any extreme heat, events flooding, Recently a group of environother plants same problem mental scientists who are part of in the world.” we have with and hurricanes the Save Our Springs Alliance The developspecies pres~~~~~~~~~~~~ filed a formal petition to the ment of this ervation, we US Fish and Wildlife Service to area won’t could do it, it’s make the Pedernales Salamanonly cause a just not a high der an endangered species. The higher chance of the Pedernales priority for us. salamander needs clean water salamander going extinct but it The Mirasol Springs project is but, a possible industrial develwill also cause the ecosystem to the reason the Save Our Springs opment in the be less carbon Alliance found it necessary to area, the Miraefficient. finally put forward this pedition. sol Springs, is a The problem It would have been the final nail project that will with climate in the coffin for the salamander ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ spread buildchange and in a long list of other problems ings, roads, species presit is dealing with. One of these I’m part of the generation and an artificial ervation isn’t is that the aquifer drawdown that made this mess, and lake over a 1400 the fact that we caused the purity of the spring you’re part of the generation can’t do it, it’s acres area just water to drop significantly. that has to suffer the consenorth of the that we don’t Because the Pedernales quences It’s a gross injustice Pedernales rivwant to. Senior Salamander breathes directly er. This could Scientist for through its gills it is essential ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ be very danthe EDF Daniel to the species health that it gets gerous to the Zavala-Araifresh water. surrounding za said on the The Pedernales Salamander is area and sesubject “We in a dangerous spot and needs verely damage have some very human intervention. Without it, the chances of the salamander interesting stories, for examits chances of survival are slim surviving. ple, cases where we were using to none. People need to remem Industrial development of infrared cameras that allow you ber that the problem is that we surrounding areas such as this to see methane, because usuhave some unsolvable disaster one can be very damaging to the ally it’s invisible. There were destroying these species, it is environment. One of the reamany cases where the emissions that we don’t care enough to sons is that the development of were coming from these massave them. We as a species need these areas can destroy groves sive storage tanks and these big to recognize the damage that we of trees that are crucial to the cylinders. The most interesting cause and put forth actual effort health of the ecosystem. Industhing about it is that the emisto fix these problems that we trial development can also lead sions were coming out of a hatch have been causing around the to the habitat being unable to at the top of the tank that was world.
How you can help Climate Change Top 6 ways you can help fix our climate Photo By: Donna Benjamin
#1
Reach Out
A great way to support climate change is to reach out to those who can make a difference. Sending letters to senators or other representative is a great way to make people who can make a difference more aware the people want change to happen. Photo By: Vitaly Volkov
#2 Take Public Transportation One of the largest contributors to climate change is carbon dioxide. A large way that we release this gas is though cars and trucks that can be greatly reduced by just taking public transport or carpooling with friends.
Photo By: Scott Beale
#3 Watch What You Eat
It may not seem like it, but what food you eat has a large effect on the climate and how much greenhouse gases are released. The amount of greenhouse gasses released in the transportation and obtaining varies from product to product. In general meat has a much higher climate cost than plant based food.
Omens 10
#4 The Three R’s
Photo By: Jing Yap
You may remember this from one of your elementary school teachers, but recycling, reusing and reducing are some of the most effective methods out there to stop climate change. Trash is a major cause for green house gases because the removal of it releases a ton of carbon.
picture
Alternate Power #5
Getting energy from coal and other non renewable energy sources are the main cause of greenhouse gasses being released into the atmosphere. Getting solar panels isn’t the most affordable option on this list, but it is effective and can also come with a reduced energy bill!
Photo By: Elliott Brown
#6
Photo by: Nick Saltmarsh caption
picture
Food Waste This is on of the most important but overlooked parts of climate change that is easy to do with a little bit of work. This is an epidemic in the USA that has spread far and is extremely detrimental to our society in general.
Food waste is a huge waste of resources and causes people to buy much more than they need which causes tons of carbon to be used in the process of harvesting moving and keeping the product. This is one of the largest causes of carbon because of how unnecessaryand wasteful it is.
Politics and Climate Change in the U.S. How activism and policies influence this issue
The Texas House of Representatives “Texas legislature” by johnkoetsier is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
the congressional climate caucus, and “The goal is to By Matthew Thurman have open conversations about climate change.” The Representative says that he story of Climate the government’s role in Policy in the U.S. is one climate change is essential, of struggle, resistance, and slow progress. The United It is the most effiStates is the number one carbon emitting country cient and fair way to in the world, and yet we solve climate change. as a nation have failed to To support those take decisive action. Some among us with fewer states, such as California have implemented some resources, [the] govmeasures that will greaternment has to have a ly help to slow and stop role in that” climate change. But other states, such as Texas, Texas has historically are refusing to do what lagged behind other states is needed to stop climate and nations when it comes change. to climate action. The last However, not all hope decisive action taken by the is lost. In Texas, Represen- state was a renewable entative Erin Zweiner leads ergy standard set in the
T
“
Omens 14
early 2000’s, that was met more than a decade ago, but has not been updated. Zweiner says that changing this is going to require investment in the people and in green energy by the U.S. government and the Texas government. In California, a lot of action has already been taken by the state government to combat climate change. I spoke with activist Michael Colvin, who is the director of California energy policy at the Environmental Defense Fund. Michael says that under Senate bill 100, California is headed toward a carbon-neutral power grid by 2045. This is a big step to take because 25% of emissions in the U.S. come from generating energy. In
California, this policy will effectively eliminate all of those emissions. Around the same time of the passing of Senate bill 100, then governor Brown signed an executive order setting a goal of carbon neutrality for the entire economy in California by 2045. This is a huge step to take because California is the most populous state, and has the second highest emissions of any State. Michael says this transition is possible, but it won’t be easy, and it will require the
government to step in and help those who may have a hard time affording new, green products , “[we need to] make certain that, you know, vulnerable customers are not left behind vulnerable parts of the population are not left behind. And so if we can do that, we’ll be better off because we don’t want to create a situation where customers who are barely getting by, are sort of left behind”. Furthermore, Michael says the state has made achievements just as ambitious in
the past, “[in] 2007 and 2008, California had just passed its first greenhouse gas laws. And there were goals for 2020. But we want a 20% reduction economy wide by 2020. And everybody thought that that was crazy ambitious, we are never going to get there. And we are all just said, Alright, well, let’s start. And it’s going to be a stretch goal, we have no idea how we’re going to do it. But we can, we can do something. And fast forward. We hit those
“California Green Energy Power” by JOJO TRAN is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 Wind farm in California
metric tonne, but goes up 10$ a year. Furthermore, all money from this program is redistributed to the American people. Each adult will receive an equal dividend, and children rceive half a share. This model is predicted to low er emissions 90% by 2050. This approach is unique and looks like it will be highly effective if implemented. Hamilton also talked to me about policies put into place around Austin that are making a change,
“They[city council]
Protester in Copenhagen, Denmark protesting inaction by governments “20091212_14k Carolin & Greenpeace’s hand-out placard before the big climate protest during the UN climate conference in Copenhagen, Denmark” by ratexla (protected by Pixsy) is licensed under CC BY-NCND 2.0
2020 targets several years early”. Activism plays a central role in making climate change policy. I spoke with activist Hamilton Richards with the citizens climate lobby(CCL) about climate activism in the U.S. Hamil
Omens 16
ton told me about an interesting system proposed by the CCL where a fee is placed on carbon emitting energy sources as soon as they enter the economy, whether by harvesting or by being imported. This fee starts at 15$ a
put it in a small charge that would make coal power from the Fayette plant more expensive, so that it was shut down in favor of natural gas which produces less co2 per unit of energy.” Activism is critical in pushing climate change policy everywhere, change will not come unless it is demanded. There are many organizations such as CCL or the Sunrise Movement that promote climate
Protestors protesting for climate change “Climate Emergency - Families facing Climate Change” by John Englart (Takver) is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
change policy and spread information related to climate change. Climate Change Policy is a big issue in the U.S. that seems to be discussed everywhere outside of lawmaking bodies, where action on the issue has in general been minimal. Hopefully activism like that of the EDF or the CCL, will change that. Or maybe the change will come from politicians like Erin Zweiner and the Texas Climate Caucus. Or maybe individuals like yourself will get involved, let the government know that you care
and make a change. Climate Change is a soon impending issue that will effect all of us. So all of us need to play our part to solve it. Policy is one of the main ways to do this, and in order for any policy to be made, we need to let the government know we care. Many within government such as Representative Zweiner are already fighting the good fight. And many organizations like the EDF, the Sunrise movement, and the Citizens Climate Lobby are fighting for Climate Change policies and legislation. This issue is
becoming desperate. The effects are already being felt around the world, and if decisive action is not taken, the consequences of climate change will get worse for all of us. The government of California has already taken decisive action, now the governments of Texas, the U.S. and the world need to follow if we want to have any chance of survival. Please, let your representatives know you care, and do what you can to stop this major issue from getting worse.
American’s Views on Climate Change Whate the data shows By: Matthew Thurman
As you can see Democrats are far more likely to want climate action than republicans, and overall, americans want more climate action.
Most Americans also agree that developing fossil fuels is more important than continuting to develope fossil fuels.
Omens 18
Despite the scientific consensus that climate change is a real issue facing humanity, many in the government continue to deny it. Thirty members of the U.S. senate in 2021 still don’t believe climate change is real.
The U.S. capital building
Most Americans in every state support participation in the Paris Agreement. Support is heaviest in heavily democratic States such as, California and New York.
Omens 20
How the World Will Become Green and Clean By: Deven Sharma
Climate change can be scary to think about as a whole. There are so many different ways to go green and stay renewable, but it can sometimes be overwhelming to think and learn about. In this article I will show you all about renewable energy, how it works, and anything you need to know. What is renewable energy? Renewable energy is energy that is harnessed from natural resources that are replenished daily.
Photograph by Deven Sharma
Renewable energy will never run out. It is something we can harness and use forever. People and companies spend dozens of years just working on improving renewable energy. One of those companies is called Sparkfund. I have been fortunate to get an interview with the Vice President of Business Development at Sparkfund, Ms. Lauren Efird.
Ms Efird has worked with a team to get approximately 50 to 100 percent of the state of Maryland completely renewable and using clean energy. She says “Sparkfund is a software and services provider for companies that are looking to utilize efficient energy, and energy infrastructure to help their clients build a more resilient and or more efficient set of facilities”. Cities need companies like Sparkfund to direct the energy to the right places and keep places like hospitals and fire stations running. Sparkfund is one company that makes sure we stay efficient with our
energy and ensures we don’t waste it. Along with the state of Texas, other states such as California, New York, Ohio, and Michigan have been experiencing energy failures due to natural causes. This is caused by cities and states not having a strong
energy can solve that problem. It has the capacity to power entire cities when a disaster strikes and stay completely efficient. There are many forms of renewable energy depending on where you live. If you live near a large river or lake, there might be a hydroelectric dam nearby. Hydro power plants are by far the most difficult to build. The reason that people use them is because they create the most power. Water never stops moving, therefore a hydroelectric dam creates the most power consistently. A hydro dam creates about 2 enough power system or a kilowatt hours of electricigrid that can handle the ex- ty per day. treme weather conditions If you live in a rural part of and power all of the houses your state, then your house and buildings. Renewable might use a little bit of electricity from wind turbines. Wind turbines are a lot easier to build than a hydro dam. Wind turbines might not create a lot of power on their own, but with a large amount of them they can create a lot of energy. Wind power is the second most popular renewable energy source. A commercial wind farm produces about 6 million kWh of electric-
“Simple stuff like turning off the lights when you leave a room and not overusing electricity, don’t leave the TV on, and if the weather’s nice open the windows instead of just leaving the air on.”
Omens 22
ity per year. Wind power is most popular in rural areas with a large amount of space in between towns to place the wind turbines. It might not look like it but wind turbines are extremely big. One blade of a wind turbine is 120 feet long! Solar energy is the second most popular form of renewable energy. Solar farms can be massive, but not all of them. A commercial solar farm can produce up to 100 million kWh per year, that’s enough power for 75,000 homes. A single house would only need about 15-18 solar tiles or panels to be fully powered by the sun. Ted Kelly says “Simple stuff like turning off the Picture by mypubliclands
lights when you leave a room and not overusing electricity, don’t leave the TV on, and if the weather’s nice open the windows instead of just leaving the air on.” Those are some tips that he has for the world instead of wasting energy. He is the Senior Attorney for energy markets and regulation at the Environmental Defense Fund, he specializes in the Federal Energy Policy and the amount of green energy states use per year. The Environmental Defense Fund is a nonprofit organization that works across the globe to help the fight against climate change. Along with other companies, EDF was created for
the purpose of solving the climate crisis. With all of the technology we have now we are doing so much to reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses we produce. It is unfortunately not enough, the amount of toxic air that gets released into the atmosphere is more than we are able to clean. It is definitely possible for the planet to be completely using clean energy. That will only work if everyone does their part to change the world.
How Renewable Energy Is the New Future Why you should use renewable energy
Better for the Planet Fossil fuels are killing the planet. There is only a limited amount of fossil fuels. Once we run out of those there is none left. At the same time they are putting toxic air and chemicals into the air and that is rapidly killing the planet. Green energy is safe for the planet and never runs out. It will always be here.
Safer for Humans and Jobs Crude oil and other fossil fuels are harmful to work around, They can have affects on the body that causde harm to vital organs. Even with proper protection it still will not fully keep the effects of fossil fuels. Working in the renewable energy force is completely safe, there is no risk to your body. Renewable energy is creating more jobs. It is helping more people find jobs with good pay and benifets.
When fossil fuels run out and the planet needs a source of energy renewable will be there to save cities. It will give cities, houses, and anything that needs electricity enough power to last through out the night and day, 24/7. Renewable energy is the only option when we use all of the earth’s natural resources.
Omens 24
Saves the Infrastructure of Cities
Conserves the Earths Natural Resources Fossil fuels are one of earths natural resources. If we drain it who knows what might happen. It is too risky to do that. We have already done too much damage to the point of almost no return. The only way we can redeem the planets resources is stop using them. We have to start using renewable energy to power our everyday lives. If we dont we might go to the point of no return.
Cleans the Air and Oceans Fossil fuels are very harmful to the air and our oceans. Fossil fuels are putting toxins and harmful chemicals in the air. Renewable energy is completely clean. It does not do any harm to the planet. It takes about 25 years to clean up one small oil spill. Even after it has been cleaned up, it killed countless fish, coral and other sea life. With renewable energy we can stop that.
Reliability The cool thing about reneable energy is that it never stops. Water never stops moving, wind never stops blowing, the sun never stop shining. We are harnessing this energy to our advantage to make sure we dont kill the planet and drain its natural resources. If we fully harness the power of renewable energy we wont have to worry about the planet. There will always be an abundance of energy. Renewable is the only type of energy that never runs out.
Coal Power Plant Cartoon Clipart is liscensed for personal use by pinclipart.com
2021