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● CLIMATE CHANGE PAGES
CODE RED
Climate change is accelerating
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JordanMoser
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently released downward before we start facing some dire effects.” These dire effects include the first section of their sixth assessment report. It addressed the most up-to-date understanding of the current climate change situation. The assessment has been labeled by the United Nations Secretary General António Guterres as a “code red of humanity.”
Code red. Given that it’s a universally daunting term, valid fears have arisen from its usage in Guterres’ statement. But what exactly is the sixth assessment report? According to Dr. Beth Chalecki, a professor at the University of Nebraska-Omaha who focuses on international environmental policy and climate change, the report consists of conclusions drawn from climate research around the world. “Every five or six years, the IPCC will release what’s called an assessment report, and this is the first volume of the sixth one. It’s split into three working groups,” Chalecki said, “Working Group One is the physical scientists and how we know climate change is actually happening, Working Group Two is the impact climate change has on us and the world, and Working Group Three is the mitigation group which is what we can do to fix this or adapt.” Later this year or into early next year, working groups two and three will drop their reports and the sixth assessment will be complete.
Although only the science report has dropped, it’s given a lot of red flags, hence code red. “What they’re telling us now is that climate change is not only certain to be happening, it’s certain that humans are contributing to it, if not the main cause,” Chalecki said. “We only have a short period of time to bend that emissions curve heat waves, droughts, floods, an increase in tropical storms, and maybe even more pandemics. “We need to understand how it’s happening, why it’s happening, and what we can do to turn it around,” Chalecki said. “I can’t help but wonder how much doom and gloom it’s going to take before we start changing.” Knowing what the report is only can do so much; how does one respond to a report like this? Moreover, how does one who has their doubts about climate change respond? “We need to have more involvement on the part of the government and on the part of the citizens. We need to understand that these large scale responses aren’t “These large scale something that your average citizen is going to be responses aren’t able to do on their own,” something that said Chalecki. “We really need the government at your average all levels to be guiding us in this direction; undercitizen is going to lying the government’s responsibility is our be able to do on responsibility as citizens their own.” to vote.” According to the New - Dr. Beth Chalecki York Times’ 2020 exit poll results, around 30% UNO Professor of voters responded “no” to the question, “Do you think climate change, also known as global warming, is a serious problem?” For those who have their doubts about climate change, Chalecki offers something to consider. “Think about the world you would want to live in, in a hundred years time. Think about the world you want to leave to your children and grandchildren. Do you want them to enjoy what you have right now? If so, we need to take steps to make sure that happens,” Chalecki said. “I would like to encourage people, and students especially, to make this a part of their curriculum no matter what they’re studying. Make this a part of what they’re studying and register to vote. If there’s a one word answer, it’s gonna be vote.”
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. Oregon Bootleg Fire = more than 400,000 acres.
Wildfire smoke can account for about 25% of air pollution in the U.S.
The wildfire season has increased by 100 days since 1970. Now it is 250 days long. In 1970, the average was 500,000 acres.
BaileyKollasch
Confusion 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 brought Mar ian closer to the Sustainability Club’s goal, but composting has not been so easy. Compost-able utensils are currently backordered for six months, according to the dean of students Mrs. Kris Hennings, which resulted in a complicated combina tion of recyclable and compost-able items and trash.
“Now you have only half of things that are sustainable, and then, it just messes us up, you know. We’re all routine people,” Hennings said.
In previous years, Sustainability Club members — as well as Genoways and Hennings — would stand by the colorful bins during lunch to direct the students’ disposal; however, this eats up the mem
ElizabethMonzu
Amagnitude 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 and thousands were displaced. Haiti’s situation is unusual because of the tropical depression that followed — as 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-
bers’ time away from schoolwork so not as many would like to volunteer as the school year progresses. Without their watchful eyes, trash manages to find its way into the compost bin, and the company paid to pick up the bin won’t take it.
Styrofoam plates on pasta day aren’t foreshadowing falling back on old habits. “We’re really trying [to be sustainable]... it’s not like we don’t want to, but we’ve got to find a way to make it easier,” Hennings said while explaining the plan for 2021.
In order to guarantee the amount of trash thrown in compost bins decreases and the bins are used properly, Principal Mrs. Susie Sullivan and Hennings have simplified the disposal process. Salad containers — often used by Marian students, especially on Marian Moms — are the only items to be composted while other garbage goes in either the recyclable or trash bin.
Hennings and Genoways anticipate what steps Sustainability Club and their new moderators, Mrs. Aleecia Cotton and Mrs. Stephanie Dickes, will take once they put their ideas into action, but for now, Marian will be tackling composting one step at a time.
Every item counts, and students can make a difference by putting their items in the correct bins. Those who want to volunteer to help Marian develop into a sustainable community can start by contacting Hennings at khennings@omahamarian.
1. Seniors Shannon Monahan, Carli Ahsan, Erin Connelly, Ryan Sully, and Anne Masek on the Dodge Street pedestrian bridge. The girls were promoting sustainability at a march on April 24, 2020. Photo by CarliAhsan 2. A wildfire over the horizon in Pyrgos, Greece. The 2021 Greece wildfires began in August. Photo courtesy of YiotaAnastasiou 3. A Haitian firefighter among the rubble of a destroyed building. Many Haitians were injured or killed due to building collapses. Photo source JosephOdelyn, royalty free
Temperatures are rising: it’s still not too late
Infographic by ElleianaGreen
4ºC - Worst case scenario, biodiversity reduced by 60%
2ºC - Temperature can be reversed up until this point
Target temperature range from the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement 1.5ºC - Projected to meet this by 2030
1.4ºC - Best case scenario
Illustration by JordanMoser
and thousands were displaced. Haiti’s situation is unusual because of the tropical depression that followed — as
ings were destroyed because of Haiti’s weak infrastructure. Natural disasters are so much worse in Haiti and they are the most vulnerable country in Latin America because of how they use their land, their low income, and high population density. Climate change has affected Haiti in ways it hasn’t in other countries due to all these vulnerabilities. Their drought season has gotten longer — their tropical storms have strengthened and rainfall has become unpredictable. Tropical storms, hurricanes, and floods have been A group of Haitians standing together in a food distribution line. After the earthquake more intense and have sacks of rice were distributed to residents of the area. a faster pace due to Photo source JosephOdelyn, royalty free climate change. Source: IPCC
Every increase in temperature by 2ºC decreases biodiversity by 25%. If we cut emissions in half by 2030 and to net zero by 2050, we can fix the impending climate emergency.
However, Haiti also faces man-made problems that affect climate change such as deforestation and pollution.
Haiti is among the top ten countries that are most at risk of the effects of climate change because of how they use their land now and how they have used it in the past. According to the Washington Post, French colonizers in the 1600s cut down the forests to build plantations. Today, Haiti suffers from widespread deforestation and only three percent of their canopy cover remains. This deforestation is the main cause of the erosion threatening the whole country. It has caused a lot of the landslides and mudslides that occur during storms, and earthquakes have more consequences because of this.
As well as erosion, Haiti suffers from small harvests, soil loss, and desertification as an impact of climate change. Therefore, they do not have as many livestock and crops because they cannot get big harvests. They also overfarm their land, which makes smaller harvests.
Haiti is a hot bed for natural disasters, and climate change is making them worse. It is difficult for Haitians to recover from these storms because of the destruction they cause, upending roads and washing away hillsides. Having two major storms in the span of three days is not good for any country but is compounded in Haiti.
