Re-imaging our end-of-life experience on earth an advertising video to raise public awareness about global warming reducing greenhouse gas emission
Yiwen Wang
Abstract Worldwide, the number of climaterelated disasters has more than tripled since 1980. 2016 was the hottest year on record since 1880. A massive 97 percent of researchers believe global warming is happening and they agree it’s probably due to human activity. Because humans are moving more carbon into the atmosphere from other parts of the earth system, a variety of circulations are formed: rising sea levels, flooding, species extinction, etc.. Global warming is already affecting our lives and will still have impacts in the future. The purpose of this video is to raise public awareness about global warming and reducing greenhouse gas emission. After watching this video, people will get the information that global warming is very worthy of attention, and each of us should be responsible.
Competition In my “Sustainable Systems� class, Fall 2017, I decided to craft a solution to the design competition: Creative Climate Awards (https:// www.humanimpactsinstitute.org/ creative-climate-awards) run by the Human Impacts Institute. They feature an annual series of events that showcase artists creating climate-inspired performances, installations, and exhibits; deploying the arts and creativity to share knowledge, broaden the climate conversation, educate, and incite action.
RESEARCH PAPER Global Warming Is Threatening Human Safety and Altering the Earth’s Climate System
Global Warming Is Threatening Human Safety and Altering the Earth’s Climate System I. Introduction Worldwide, the number of climate-related disasters has more than tripled since 1980. Temperature is breaking records. 2016 is the hottest year on record since 1880, with average temperatures measuring 1.78 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the mean of the temperature of the mid-20th century. A massive 97 percent of researchers believe global warming is happening and that they agree that trends observed over the last past century are probably due to human activity. Global warming is already affecting our lives and will still have impacts in the future. II. The Factors of Global Warming and Carbon Cycle Global warming refers to the upward temperature trend across the entire Earth since the early 20th century, and most notably since the late 1970s, due to the increase in fossil fuel emissions since the industrial revolution. Global warming is accelerated because of more greenhouse gas (carbon dioxide) is leased into the air. These air enter into the atmosphere, shaping a thick skin around the earth, trapping the heat from the sun to stay. Future carbon dioxide emissions in the 21st century will hence lead to adverse climate changes on both short and long time scales that would be essentially irreversible. III. The Results of Global Warming Because humans are moving more carbon into the atmosphere from other parts of the Earth system, a variety of circulations are formed. Below are the examples to explain the circulations.
3.1 Sea Level Rises Rising sea levels is caused primarily by the added water from melting ice sheets and glaciers, as well as the expansion of seawater as it warms. Levels are currently rising at their fastest rate for more than 2,000 years, and the current rate of change is 3.4mm a year. Today, we are at the end of a warm ice age. The current interglacial began at the end of the Pleistocene, about 11,700 years ago. When the temperature is 1-degree higher than it is now, the sea level was about 5 meters higher than it is now. About 3 million years ago, the temperature was one or two degrees above average over the past few thousand years, and the sea level was at least 25 meters higher than it is now. By studying the relationship between temperature and sea level over the past million years, people find that for every 1-degree rise in temperature, the sea level will eventually rise by 20 meters. The circulation behind sea level is closely related to the carbon cycle. The bluish-white glacier has a high albedo. Albedo is the measure of diffusive reflection of solar radiation out of the total solar radiation received by a body. It means the darker a color is, the harder for it to reflect heat from the sun. In this way, the more the glacier melt, the more heat the exposed soil will absorb, the glacier will melt even faster. By 2100, it’s estimated our oceans will be one to four feet higher, threatening coastal systems and low-lying areas, including entire island nations and the world’s largest cities, including New York, Los Angeles, and Miami as well as Mumbai, Sydney, and Rio de Janeiro.
3.2 Floods One factor of the flood is urbanization and the urban heat island effect. An urban heat island (UHI) is an urban area or metropolitan area that is significantly warmer than its surrounding rural areas due to human activities. Warm air contains more moisture: every time the temperature rises, water increases about 5%. As a result, global warming will bring more precipitation, and it will rain more frequently. For urban areas, flooding has become a severe problem for the government and greatly damaging the economic fortune of the residents. 217 cities among the investigated 351 cities of China have experienced local floods between 2008 to 2010, including Beijing. On the July 21st of 2012, a heavy rainfall happened in Beijing. 77 people have died in the end, and most of them were died because of drowning. Over 90 coastal communities in the United States are battling long-term flooding, and the number is expected to roughly double to more than 170 communities in less than 20 years. IV. Threatening Lives If we have enough time to adapt, a higher carbon dioxide concentration and warmer climates can support more lives. The problem is, for today’s flora, fauna and humanity, we are all adapted to the unusually stable climate of the past millennia. Now the climate is warming rapidly and may be hotter than in the past millions of years, and we can foresee that the future climate will no longer be stable. This is a big challenge. Many species may have to migrate to find a temperature-friendly environment. To be synchronized with the time the food appears, the animal must change the timing of breeding and migration. Many species may not be able to. Based on the judgment of the relatively conservative greenhouse effect, theoretical studies have undergone an extreme estimation: about one third or more of the terrestrial species will become extinct. V. Conclusion Global warming is altering the earth’s climate system. The physical climate changes that are due to anthropogenic carbon dioxide already in the atmosphere today are expected to be largely irreversible. The small rise will have serious consequences for every ecosystem and living things, including us. Global warming is very worthy of attention.
Bibliography Culshaw M G, Nathanail C P, Leeks G J. “The role of web-based environmental information in urban planning-the environmental information system for planners. “Science of the Total Environment, 2005, 360(1-3). Denchak, Melissa. “Are the Effects of Global Warming Really that Bad?” NRDC. July 25, 2017. https:// www.nrdc.org/stories/are-effects-global-warming-really-bad. Parker, Laura. “Sea Level Rise Will Flood Hundreds of Cities in the Near Future.” National Geographic. July 12, 2017. https://news.nationalgeographic. com/2017/07/sea-level-rise-flood-global-warmingscience/. Plummer, Libby, and Cara McGoogan. “11 terrifying climate change facts.” WIRED. September 04, 2017. http://www.wired.co.uk/article/climate-change-facts. Solomona1, Susan, and And Reto Knuttic. “Irreversible climate change due to carbon dioxide emissions.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. http://www.pnas.org/content/106/6/1704.full. “What We Know (And Don’t Know) About Climate Change.” Forbes. August 01, 2017. https://www. forbes.com/sites/quora/2017/08/01/what-weknow-and-dont-know-about-climate-change/#3ecd9a482513. Whiteman, Hilary. “China doubles Beijing flood death toll.” CNN. July 27, 2012. Accessed December 16, 2017. http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/26/world/ asia/china-beijing-flood/index.html. Zhao, Jing, Yu, Kongjian and Li, Dihua(2014) “Spatial characteristics of local floods in Beijing urban area,” Urban Water Journal.
Appendix
Increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases lead to an increase of both average and extreme temperatures. This is expected to lead to an increase in deaths and illness from heat and a potential decrease in deaths from cold.
Conceptual diagram illustrating the exposure pathways by which climate change affects human health.
Estimated Deaths and Billion Dollar Losses from Extreme Events in the United States, 2004–2013.
Final Project
Vimeo Link: https://vimeo.com/246177746
The Fact and Factors of global warming:
The Consequences of global warming:
The Expectations of global warming:
EXECUTIVE Summary OVERARCHING SUMMARY PARAGRAPH OF THE SITUATION: Worldwide, the number of climate-related disasters has more than tripled since 1980. 2016 was the hottest year on record since 1880. A massive 97 percent of researchers believe global warming is happening and they agree it’s probably due to human activity. Because humans are moving more carbon into the atmosphere from other parts of the earth system, a variety of circulations are formed: rising sea levels, flooding, species extinction, etc.. Global warming is already affecting our lives and will still have impacts in the future. The purpose of this video is to raise public awareness about global warming and reducing greenhouse gas emission. After watching this video, people will get the information that global warming is very worthy of attention, and each of us should be responsible. BULLETS OF HIGHLIGHTED DETAILS I. At the beginning, the video talks about The Fact and Factors of global warming. Global warming refers to the upward temperature trend across the entire Earth since the early 20th century. Global warming is accelerated because of more greenhouse gas (carbon dioxide) is leased into the air. II. In the middle, it addresses The Consequences of global warming: melting glaciers, rising sea levels, floods, extreme temperatures, diseases... III. In the end, it shows The Expectations of global warming in the future: earth could warm by six degrees this century, about one third or more of the terrestrial species will become extinct... PERSUASIVE POSITION SUMMARY This advertising video is a notice to raise public awareness about global warming and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. If we all take responsibility and take actions, the expectations will be changed.
Self Evaluation 3 THINGS THAT ARE RIGHT ABOUT THIS PROJECT 1) This project addresses climate change impacts in a straightforward way. It’s easy to understand and it’s standing on our side. 2) The video is fun and playful. 3) It can be played on social media and have more influence among people.
3 THINGS THAT COULD BE IMPROVED ABOUT THIS PROJECT 1) The video can be longer and have a “what to do” part in the end to teach people how to start their first step. 2) My communication in my 2-page spread is not clear enough. 3) I wish I could film a video using micro-models to present the impacts of global warming more vividly.
Bio Yiwen Wang is from China and is a sophomore at Parsons studying Integrated Design. She’s intersted in photography and film. She’s recently working for Vogue China Digital. Her hero is David Bowie. She loves Thierry Mugler.