CODE RED 08 indepth
Septem 1
Climate change is accelerating
JordanMoser he Intergovernmental Panel on Clidownward before we start facing some mate Change (IPCC) recently released dire effects.” These dire effects include the first section of their sixth assessment heat waves, droughts, floods, an increase report. It addressed the most up-to-date in tropical storms, and maybe even more understanding of the current climate pandemics. “We need to understand how change situation. The assessment has been it’s happening, why it’s happening, and labeled by the United Nations Secretary what we can do to turn it around,” ChalGeneral António Guterres as a “code red ecki said. “I can’t help but wonder how of humanity.” much doom and gloom it’s going to take Code red. Given that it’s a universally before we start changing.” daunting term, valid fears have arisen from Knowing what the report is only can its usage in Guterres’ statement. But what do so much; how does one respond to a exactly is the sixth assessment report? Ac- report like this? Moreover, how does one cording to Dr. Beth Chalecki, a professor who has their doubts about climate change at the University of Nebraska-Omaha who respond? “We need to have more involvefocuses on international environmental ment on the part of the government and on policy and climate change, the report con- the part of the citizens. We need to unsists of concluderstand that these large sions drawn from scale responses aren’t climate research something that your averaround the world. age citizen is going to be “Every five or able to do on their own,” six years, the said Chalecki. “We really IPCC will release need the government at what’s called all levels to be guiding us an assessment in this direction; underreport, and this is lying the government’s the first volume responsibility is our of the sixth one. responsibility as citizens It’s split into to vote.” three working According to the New groups,” ChalecYork Times’ 2020 exit ki said, “Working poll results, around 30% UNO Professor Group One is the of voters responded “no” physical sciento the question, “Do you tists and how we think climate change, know climate change is actually happenalso known as global warming, is a seriing, Working Group Two is the impact ous problem?” For those who have their climate change has on us and the world, doubts about climate change, Chalecki and Working Group Three is the mitigation offers something to consider. “Think about group which is what we can do to fix this the world you would want to live in, in a or adapt.” Later this year or into early next hundred years time. Think about the world year, working groups two and three will you want to leave to your children and drop their reports and the sixth assessment grandchildren. Do you want them to enjoy will be complete. what you have right now? If so, we need Although only the science report has to take steps to make sure that happens,” dropped, it’s given a lot of red flags, hence Chalecki said. “I would like to encourage code red. “What they’re telling us now is people, and students especially, to make that climate change is not only certain to this a part of their curriculum no matter be happening, it’s certain that humans are what they’re studying. Make this a part of contributing to it, if not the main cause,” what they’re studying and register to vote. Chalecki said. “We only have a short peIf there’s a one word answer, it’s gonna be riod of time to bend that emissions curve vote.”
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“These large scale responses aren’t something that your average citizen is going to be able to do on their own.” - Dr. Beth Chalecki
Fires don’t always go away in one day As of Sept. 27, 45,971 fires have burned 5,879,222 acres in the United States.
Dixie Fire = 960,500 acres. The wildfire season has increased by 100 days since 1970. Now it is 250 days long.
Oregon Bootleg Fire = more than 400,000 acres.
Wildfire smoke can account for about 25% of air pollution in the U.S.
In 1970, the average was 500,000 acres.
Infographic by ElizabethMonzu. Data sources: National Interagency Fire Center (nifc.gov), Climatecentral.org, National Geographic
Salad containers: The queen o BaileyKollasch
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onfusion surrounds the mystery of the missing Sustainability Club members when students throw away their garbage after lunch. Plastic lids and Styrofoam plates have no claw to guide them. Created in 2019, Sustainability Club works to make a healthy, Earth-friendly environment. “We want sustainability to be more than just composting and recycling. We want it to be something that is prevalent throughout the school, whether it be something like plants in classrooms to have a healthier atmosphere or looking at the noise level of different things in our school,” Dr. Sharon Genoways, the former Sustainability Club moderator, said. The relatively new low-flush toilets, water bottle stations, and automatic lights
from recent construction brough ian closer to the Sustainability C goal, but composting has not be easy. Compost-able utensils are backordered for six months, acc the dean of students Mrs. Kris H which resulted in a complicated tion of recyclable and compostand trash. “Now you have only half of are sustainable, and then, it just up, you know. We’re all routine Hennings said. In previous years, Sustainabi members — as well as Genowa Hennings — would stand by the bins during lunch to direct the s disposal; however, this eats up t
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Natural disasters are not unco
ElizabethMonzu magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck southwest Haiti on Aug. 14. According to the Richter Scale, which is the basis for the magnitudes, this kind of earthquake is major and causes lots of damage over a large amount of land. Haiti also had a huge earthquake in 2010 that killed hundreds of thousands of people and hit the capital, Port-auPrince. Even today Haiti is still recovering from it, as they are the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere — 60 percent of their population is below the poverty line, says World Vision. Spanish teacher Caitlin Gaule, has been to the Dominican Republic many times, going with students on the annual service trip. “The Dominican Republic is ten times more wealthy than Haiti even though they share the same island,” Gaule said. To compound this, Haiti does not have enough funding for earthquake and hurricane relief and another big earthquake just struck. “They don’t have the resources to escape everything,” Gaule said. Haiti, in its infancy was a slave nation ruled by the French. Eventually Haiti revolted and became their own independent nation. “A lot of other countries didn’t want to work with them and support them, so from the beginning they had a lot to deal with,” Gaule said. The Aug. 14 earthquake killed more than 1,900 people
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and thousands w because of the well as Haiti’s susceptibility to natural disasters. Tropical Depression Grace came not even three days later on Aug. 16. It caused flashfloods,mudslides and landslides. Hillsides and roads were destroyed as well as 50,000 homes. Many build-
