Climate Change

CLIMATE CHANGE: WHO IS TO BLAME? By Ophelie Lawson

Global warming is transforming the world as we know it. We also know that climate change is caused by human activity but nailing down exactly who is mostly responsible is trickier than it might seem. But we need to start pointing fingers at the right people.

The dominant and recurrent narrative is that individuals, WE, are to blame. And this is a dangerous narrative as it gives too much importance to individuals’ actions and takes the focus out of the ongoing lack of action from fossil fuel companies, politicians, rich people, and wealthy countries. This argument focuses on changing individuals’ behaviour, or the consumer, misplacing the responsibility of the entire climate crisis on the individual consumer, conveniently ignoring the disproportionate climate impact of corporate interests. It also creates a conflict between the individuals who are ‘trying their best’ to act and those who do not because of multiple reasons (like not having the means to), ignoring again those whose actions have a bigger impact than ours. One of the most frustrating things about the climate crisis is that it could have been prevented.

What are some of the effects of Climate Change?

Everyone around the world is experiencing directly or indirectly the effect of climate change, whether you live in Europe, North or South America, Asia, the Caribbean, or anywhere else. Climate change and global warming are the results of an increasing temperature, it warms up the entire globe. Warmer temperatures mean that fishes will become smaller over time as a result of warm water starving the animals of oxygen. Hurricanes have become more frequent and intense. Each decade, damages due to hurricanes have increased. What started with only tens of millions in the 1950s has turned into 474 billion between 2010 to 2020. It will increase and intensify extreme weather events: abnormally heavy rainfall, prolonged droughts, desertification, environmental degradation, or sealevel rise and cyclones, already are causing an average of more than 20 million people to leave their homes and move to other areas in their countries each year. Warming weather also causes animal migration. Entire species of important insects are going extinct, other insects will emerge that will devastate entire continents. Climate change could displace two billion people due to rising ocean levels. It is the ‘defining crisis of our time and disaster displacement one of its most devastating consequences’ (UNHCR). It will (and is already) trigger displacement for entire populations. It will limit natural resources, such as drinking water. Deforestation and land degradation, as well as forced evictions of Indigenous Peoples, attacks on environmental activists, and other human rights violations, are consequences of it.

Fossil fuel companies

Historically, fossil fuel companies have been among the most responsible for climate change. Research shows that just 100 fossil fuel-producing companies are responsible for 71% of global greenhouse gas emissions since 1988. There is also evidence that big fossil fuel companies have known for decades about the harmful effects of burning fossil fuels and rather than doing anything to find solutions they have attempted to suppress that information. (Amnesty International). So not only are fossil fuel firms playing a significant role in the climate problem, but they have also worked hard to control the public narrative in order to be able to continue extracting and burning fossil fuels regardless of the cost.

Rich countries

The United States, Canada, Japan, and much of Western Europe, account for just 12% of the global population today. Over the past 170 years, they are responsible for 50% of all the planet-warming greenhouse gases released from fossil fuels. Countries emitting the most are also playing important roles in global warming. At international negotiations, the question of whether richer countries who are historically more polluting, should take more responsibility for climate change than others, has for long been debated. History matters because the cumulative amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted since the start of the industrial revolution is closely tied to the 1.2C of warming that has already occurred. (Carbon brief analysis). Big companies such as banks, insurance institutions, also play a key role in driving the climate crisis, especially when they fund fossil fuel companies linked to deforestation. Yet popular rhetoric always proposes simple solutions: no more plastic straws, no more plastic bags. Banning plastic straws and bags, though environmentally friendly, is too small-scale to make a serious difference given the importance of the climate crisis. Big role players need to be made accountable, should take responsibility and address climate change.

VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES By Joshua Wright

In what can often feel like a self-centred and individualistic society, volunteering is an astoundingly generous act in which one sacrifices a small part of their free time in order to help their neighbourhood or further a good cause. This article will promote the benefits of volunteering and highlight several opportunities local to Nottingham for those wishing to get actively involved in helping their community.

Why Volunteer There are several reasons why one may consider volunteering in their spare time. First and foremost, volunteering is a great way to give back to society. It’s an opportunity to do something selfless and demonstrate that you care about your local community. Many charitable organisations simply couldn’t operate without ordinary people volunteering so individual support can make a huge difference. Secondly, volunteering opportunities can be good fun. Teamwork roles enable participants to meet new people and develop friendships whilst working towards a common goal. Besides being a great chance to socialise, evidence of volunteering looks impressive on a CV. It demonstrates grit and determination among other skills that are often highly sought after by prospective employers. Where to Volunteer? If you are local to Nottingham, the Nottingham CV’s website lists a whole host of volunteering opportunities in a variety of different fields. Whilst I strongly recommend having a look at the full catalogue of listings, I’ve highlighted a few of the opportunities below to give a sense of the available roles. The Fearless Youth Association are looking for young people between the age of 16-30 to volunteer as Youth Ambassadors. Volunteers will help to tackle many of the employment barriers young people experience. Participants would be expected to volunteer for approximately 10 hours a month, whether that be attending events in-person or online. If this is something that interests, you can find more information about the opportunity using this link (https:||fyaonline.com|fya-ambassadors|). FMB Radio (FMB) is a Community Interest Company (CIC) Nottingham based media production and online radio broadcasting organisation. FMB helps individuals and organisations to capture, store and share their stories and experiences creatively and factually while enabling them to amplify their authentic voices thereby addressing issues affecting them including meeting their goals and objectives. FMB Radio is looking for candidates to fit in the government’s “New Start Programme” and volunteers in the areas of broadcasting, podcast production, music DJs and talk show hosts. To apply, please follow this link

( https:||www.fmbradio.com|work-with-us|).

ONE BAD THING STARTS ANOTHER- By Lynnette Wairegi

My name is Ash. In year 11, there was a boy named Jimmy. One day, Jimmy said ‘ I went into a Lamborghini with Arianda Grande.’ ‘oooooooo…’ said all his friends who were gullible enough to believe him. Believe it or not, there were a lot of people. Every day he told a lie or two. This one (or two) spreaded amongst all the students. Then another lie… then another. However, there was a teacher assistant who saw him tell these lies every day. Her name was Miss Autumn. Miss Autumn was a young lady who always smelt like flowers. She was strict when she needed to be and that’s why everyone tries to be on her good side. She wasn’t as strict as a lot of the other teaching assistants or teachers. And when she saw Jimmy lie to all his friends, class, teachers and parents, it made Miss Autumn have a plan. Poor Jimmy didn’t know what she had in store for Jimmy. On Wednesday, Miss Autumn ran the class instead. We learnt about the current events. After that, while we were all doing the work Miss Autumn set us, Jimmy told another lie. However, this time it was even crazier due to the fact he said ‘ I am related to King Henry the VII’ Miss Autumn acted surprised. Furthermore, she said “ Oh really?” “Yes said the boy” “ Was he a king? “ Yes” replied the lying boy “ Huh, your knowledge is really good” “Yep” he replied proudly “How many wives did he have?” asked the teacher knowing that she never told him, and it will stump the young boy. Once again, Jimmy confidently replied “one… no two… yeah two I remember” Miss Autumn knew he was wrong. “If you were related to him, your mum or dad should have told you everything about King Henry and his 6 wives who were beheaded and sadly died.” Everyone stared at little Jimmy. Jimmy knew his lying act was over. Gone. Demolished. At the end of the day, Jimmy went home alone like he always does. On the other hand, Miss Autumn got a call from Jimmy’s parents saying he wasn’t at home. Miss Autumn got scared. Butterflies flew around in her tummy. Then she noticed something on Jimmy’s desk. It said ‘ Don’t run , don’t hide I will be back ’Miss Autumn flew the country and was never to be seen again. But for Jimmy, people still say he is out there. Waiting. Waiting for someone gullible enough to come pass him. He kept lying . Oh, he definitely lied. He stole as well. He is always there waiting. Waiting… As people say one bad thing starts another.