WOMEN IN POLITICS MAGAZINE
April 2020
TABLE of contents
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6
The Planet Is In Our Hands And Just Earth Day Won’t Save
SHREYA RAJAPPA
9 13
Anti-Asian Sentiments in the United States
HANNA MATSUKAWA
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Zarah Sultana: The British AOC
SUSANNAH MAYALL
Climate Change and Migration
MARY COREY
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The Other Virus: Growing
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Climate Change and Covid-19: Two Threats Plaguing Our World
ANTONIA PAULUS Good Earth News Positive News Regarding Climate Change
REGAN MADING Opinion: Majorie Taylor Greene, Creating a Bad Name for Southern Women
EMMA MARZULLO
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Rachel Carson: The Mother of Modern Environmentalism
MEGAN BAKER
A A WORD WORD FROM FROM OUR OUR FOUNDER FOUNDER This month we witnessed a mass shooting in Atlanta, Georgia, killing eight people, six of which were Asian American Women. This form of hate crime is no surprise but rather a culmination of the racist comments and discrimination that has plagued Asians, even before the COVID-19 pandemic.
And this is why we cannot wait. We cannot wait for another community to be dehumanized, And eight people dead to take action.
As an Asian American living in a predominately white town, running away from my culture came naturally
We cannot wait for another act of police brutality,
to me. It was easier than addressing the pointed
And to see another name trending
stares and the hurtful, yet not malicious, questions.
on Twitter.
But, no matter how far I ran, I was always seen as the ‘other’.
We cannot wait because tragic events seem to be continuous,
For most of my life, talking about my experience as an Asian American felt awkward and unnecessary.
followed by lengthy discussions of solutions that are never realized.
On paper, we are seen to be “doing well”. Doctors, Lawyers, and Engineers; the ‘embodiment’ of what it is to be Asian. But when our accomplishments become our identity it’s hard to find solace in a country where our title comes first.
But today, we can change that: together, as a nation, we can dismantle systemic racism, unlearn our hurtful misconceptions, and learn how to function in a truly equal society.
Since I got involved in politics, the beauty of America’s promise strengthened me. A nation filled
That has always been the mission of
with people from all corners of the globe
America, and I sincerely believe that
participating in one democracy. It promised equality
it is achievable.
and justice.
But, in the past year, we have seen discrimination run rampant like never before, and this month the United States faced yet another breach of that promise.
Please, enjoy this issue! Rebecca Joseph
THE PLANET IS IN OUR HANDSAND JUST EARTH DAY WON’T SAVE IT BY: SHREYA RAJAPPA
Bright orange numbers light up on black on a silver, sleek, paneled skyscraper in New York City, looming over the city, a reminder of what’s to come. The rightmost numbers flash, switching, transforming, decreasing in value as the seconds tick down. These numbers symbolize the time we have left down to the seconds, 7 years if you round up, before we cross the tipping point of CO2 emissions, the moment climate change will most likely be irreversible, making NYC’s Climate Clock a tremendous engineering feat and meaningful, powerful artistic movement. It’s the plight of Gen Z to be forced to watch us run out of time to save the planet for ourselves and our progeny as our country continues to celebrate Earth Day every year. The question is: what’s the point of Earth Day when that one day hasn’t translated into meaningful change to save our Earth in terms of our day to day lives?
Seeping into the dark water, ebbing and flowing with the waves, 3 million gallons of slick crude oil coated 35 miles of ocean surface in Santa Barbara in January 1969 -- oil that should not have been there in the first place. Devastating the marine ecosystem of the coast and murdering thousands or aquatic animals, this oil spill was the result of Unocal, an oil company, causing an explosion when constructing a structure around their drilling hole that already didn’t meet federal safety requirements, being 61 feet less than the minimum height for drilling holes. For the next month after this explosion ruptured the sea floor, 1,000 gallons of oil per hour flowed out of the crack near this drilling site. Since it was the biggest oil spill in America at that time, it brought tears to people’s eyes and hands to mouths as they watched the news coverage on their screens.
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Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson, in response to this disastrous event, worked with other environmentalists to pick April 22nd to ignite activism on college campuses and then expanded their reach to all Americans, finally choosing Earth Day as their moniker which caused massive protests with about 20 million American participants to cover the nation’s ground. The next year, Earth Day protests demonstrated bipartisan engagement and became a national day to remember that we only have one Earth and we need to protect it. Twenty years later, Earth Day became an international holiday.
You might think that the world can’t get much done on just one day; Earth Day would surprise you. Those massive protests on Earth Day 1970, in addition to causing Earth Day to gain momentum and become official, caused the passage of the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act and the establishment of the Endangered Species Agency. Earth Day 2016 was chosen by the United Nations to be the day they officially signed the Paris Climate Agreement. Moreover, Earth Day hasn’t just been a day for signing documents. In fact, Earth Day has transformed from a national day of environmentalism to a year round organization that seeks to protect the environment and do environmental-education outreach. For example, Earth Day Organization (EDO) started the Climate Literacy initiative and has earned the signatures of 400 organizations representing 100 nations and more than 300 million people, the National Civic Education Program was started by the EDO, the EDO launched Earth Schools in 2020, and the EDO assisted passing laws that gave $7 billion in grants to green low-income schools. Those grants have translated into actual action already: Cincinnati used those grants to become the #1 city in the US leading green school construction efforts.
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Earth Day even has more personal, yet
However, the issue is that most people
nonetheless vital, impacts. As a result of all
-- and companies -- won’t take the
the noise roaring about Earth Day, people
time to implement these practices after
become inspired to be more
the clock strikes midnight on Earth Day.
environmentally friendly. Earth Day is at
Due to this major flaw in the existence
least one day a year when people realize
of this day, Earth Day presents more
what they could be doing to protect the
like that “popular” classmate in high
environment -- and then proceed to do
school who was always fake nice to the
just that. On Earth Day, people take
people around them, but would insult
shorter, colder showers; planting trees;
them behind their backs, constantly
participate in beach cleanups; weed
backstabbing them. The formal
community gardens; and eat consciously
terminology for this practice in the
(vegetarian/vegan/pescatarian) without
business world in relation to Earth Day
wasting food among other activities. The
is greenwashing: the branding, social
first Earth Day’s climate protests
media posts, and meaningless
demonstrate how this day also inspires
initiatives/statements from companies
people to use their voices and advocate
calling for people to save their planet
for action regarding climate change.
by being conscious about their actions
Consider Greta Thunberg and the climate
and their environmentally-destructive
protests that swarmed Washington DC a
practices and products behind that
few years back; these were a product of
facade that they’ve been notably “hush
the modern environmental movement,
hush” about. Sweetgreen, Volkswagen,
which are in turn products of Earth Day
the Malaysia Palm Oil Council, Kauai
since the creation of this day is credited
Coffee, Fiji Water, and Charmin
with jumpstarting today’s call for change.
Freshmates, to name a few, are all
If people use Earth Day to behave in more
companies that have greenwashed or
respectful ways towards Mother Earth and
still mislead their customers today.
to advocate for her protection, they might find that they’re actually able to do these actions on a more regular basis, forming people who lead environmentallybeneficial lives.
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Up until 2016, Sweetgreen had proclaimed that “Nothing from inside Sweetgreen goes to the landfill,” only for some stores in the chain to turn around and dump their organic, green waste into those very same landfills they swore off using. However, since 2018, they have acknowledged their wrongdoing and have been figuring out how to completely stop practicing this environmentally destructive action. In 2015, Volkswagen would advertise “clean diesel,” but their cars were actually rigged to circumvent emissions tests, releasing 40 times the US limit on pollutants into the atmosphere. The Malaysia Palm Oil Council attempted to come off as eco-friendly in a 2007 advertisement, only to be called out by the Advertising Standards Authority for outright lying to consumers since their palm oil plantations likely cause the extinction of rainforest species, the loss of habitat, and pollution. While Kauai Coffee claims their coffee pods are “certified 100% compostable,” these pods are only certified to decompose at industrial faculties, places that are out of reach for the public. Associating themselves with nature and the environment, Fiji Water is indeed linked to the environment -- but in a negative way considering their water is bottled up in plastic that takes 450 years to break down and that gets transported around the world in polluting vehicles. Finally, Charmin Freshmates promotes the flushability of their wipes, but wastewater officials and consumers reject this notion as it is causing blockages in their sewer and septic systems. There are many more businesses guilty of greenwashing and performative activism on Earth Day -- this is just the tip of the melting iceberg.
While the real culprit of global warming is companies that engage in horribly environmentally-damaging practices with little regard for anything other than making bank since they do the most harm to the planet, individual people still aren’t carrying their own lesser load, instead engaging in performative activism on Earth Day and then ignoring the planet’s pleas and cries for help for the other 364 days every year. In this social media age, people tend to repost what they see on their timelines, explore pages, and feeds to their own pages and stories, falsely believing that showing their own basic support for a cause does enough. Yes, spreading awareness on social media is a good start -- don’t get me wrong, it’s a fantastic tool to use to get people talking about important topics and to let people know what’s going on in the world. However, it can’t be the end of what people do.
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Unfortunately, Earth Day has lulled people into a false sense of security where they are surrounded by all of these happy-go-lucky social media posts about different ways to be environmentallyfriendly that trick them into thinking that all of these people sharing the posts must be doing what the post instructs. On the other hand, many people will repost something based on the first slide alone, not taking the time to read further and educate themselves and instead just wanting to show their friends and
The glaciers are melting. The sea level is
followers that they support the cause. So,
rising. The coral reefs are bleaching and
in truth, most people will post Earth Day
dying, a fatal catastrophe for the marine
activities, initiatives, and events on their
life in its ecosystems. The Earth is
social media without taking part in these
warming. There’s even more
activities, initiatives, and events
consequences of climate change and our
themselves, benefiting no one. Even if
inaction in fighting it ranging from
people do something environmentally-
choking pollution and destructive storms,
friendly on that day, chances are that it’s
fires, and other natural disasters. Earth
a one day occurrence and they’ll return to
Day has brought about revolutionary
their unsustainable behaviors the very
change — but in recent years, it’s become
next day. Just one day of employing
a reason for people to sit back and relax,
environmentally-conscious acts isn’t
not realizing that we no longer have time
enough -- it’s not enough to make a dent
to waste. In order to make Earth Day
in slowing down global warming,
impactful once again and have a better
decreasing CO2 emissions, or making it a
chance of saving our planet, we must flip
personal habit to protect the
back the pages, turning back time to
environment.
when Earth Day meant protests, legislation backed by changes to infrastructure, international resolve in the fight against global warming. We can do this. We must if we want a fighting chance at living to see the centuries to come.
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THE OTHER VIRUS: ANTI-ASIAN SENTIMENTS IN THE US BY: HANNA MATSUKAWA
“China virus,” “China plague,” and “Kung flu” are all harmful anti-Asian phrases that were frequently used by former President Trump during the COVID-19 pandemic. In November 2019, the first COVID-19 cases were found in Wuhan, China, and within months the virus spread around the world. As COVID-19 cases grew exponentially, people began to panic as the world seemed to come to a near-dystopic halt. The United States first went on lockdown in March 2020. Along with the increasing frustrations and fear surrounding the coronavirus, stemmed a growing anti-Asian sentiment.
Hate crimes against Asian Americans are not
In March 2020, Bawi Cung and his two
novel, but, according to NBC News, anti-Asian
young sons were attacked in a grocery
hate crimes have increased by 150% in 2020
store in Texas. All three, and an employee
from 2019. Xenophobic rhetoric spread by
who tried to help them, were violently
influential figures, such as former President
assaulted with a knife. The attacker had
Trump, fanned the flames of racism and only
targeted the Malaysian family because he
incentivized anti-Asian actions. Some people
thought they were Chinese and carriers of
blamed Asians for the pandemic and felt free
COVID-19, which they were not. All victims
to express racism and anger through hateful
recovered, but they carry both physical and
actions. Coronavirus-related acts of racism
psychological scars. Receiving minimal
began as early as February 2020. Over the
media coverage, the attack on Cung and
last year, incidents ranging from name-calling,
his family occurred over a year ago, and
spitting, shoving, to gun violence have
violent incidents against Asian Americans
battered the Asian American community.
have only increased since.
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Many hate crimes have targeted the
Thousands of hate crimes against Asians
elderly of the Asian American community,
have occurred this past year, and in
likely due to their vulnerability. In January
response, people have begun to stand
2021, Vicha Ratanapakdee was shoved
together and demand to be heard above
violently to the ground when he was on a
the silent media and unaware nation. While
morning stroll in San Francisco. The 84-
recent hate crimes have been
year-old Thai man suffered a brain
acknowledged, much of the media has
hemorrhage and passed away days later.
tried to downplay the obvious racial
His death sparked outrage, grief, and
motives. In a society already uncomfortable
motivated activism. Awareness posts
with conversations on race, Asian American
spread on social media, tagged under
voices have historically gone unnoticed.
the hashtag #JusticeforVicha.
The Asian American community has long been regarded as that of the model
As violence against Asians increased,
minority. Asians are marginalized and rarely
many activists and celebrities have begun
acknowledged, but held up as a minority
to speak up. Actors such as Daniel Dae
ideal by white society to minimize Black
Kim, Olivia Munn, and Gemma Chan have
voices. As the pandemic increased anti-
all used their platforms to raise
Asian racism and hate, the media has
awareness and bring aid to the struggling
failed to properly cover the voices and
community. Entrepreneur and activist
struggles of the hurting community.
Amanda Nguyen and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez have also
Only recently has mainstream media begun
spoken up. Celebrities, activists, and
to provide coverage and create space for
concerned citizens alike have called out
Asian American voices. Celebrities and
the lack of media attention such hate-
activists have spoken on major TV networks,
crimes have received.
and news stations have started to recognize the racial motivations of hate crimes against Asians. Through social media, people have been able to help raise awareness on their own. On February 20, 2021, hundreds of protestors stood in Foley Square in New York City demanding justice and peace for the Asian American community. They stood with signs bearing “Stop Asian Hate” and “Asian is not a virus,
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racism is”.
Such awareness has brought the struggles of the Asian American community to the attention of politicians. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who attended the February protest, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have now spoken up against the rise of anti-Asian violence. Congress has met to discuss the increase of anti-Asian crimes and proposed legislation on measures of safety. President Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris (the first Asian-American in her office) have also spoken to AAPI leaders and are working to aid the Asian American community.
Just as the discourse surrounding anti-Asian hate crimes began to grow, the most violent of such targeted crimes to date shook the Asian American community. On March 16, 2021, eight people were killed in three shootings in Atlanta spas. Six of the people killed were Asian women. The gunman said there was no racial motive but talked about using violence to overcome sexual addiction. The fetishization and minimization of Asian women combined with the increasing xenophobia in the U.S. culminated in such violence. The shootings underscored the fears of the Asian American community.
Once again, many news media sites and officials have tried to downplay the racial factors of the shooting, prompting backlash and concern. Activists have worked to emphasize the racist and sexist core of the crime and much of the nation has come together to support the Asian American community. Awareness posts have spread quickly across social media as people expressed their grief, anger, and condolences.
With the use of social media and technology, racism against Asian Americans has been better acknowledged and the community more supported. Racist actions captured on film and spread through American society have been necessary for the validation of Asian American struggles. Many incidents against Asians are only recognized because of the power of technology and social media. The Stop AAPI Hate initiative, created to help combat the rise of COVID-19 related anti-Asian crimes, is an online platform where people have been able to report incidents of anti-Asian hate crimes. Every day, new stories of targeted hate crimes emerge, but every day, awareness and activism is built through communication and acknowledgment. Such conversations are necessary to heal and advance a community hurt by racism. Only through activism and solidarity has the Asian American and wider community been able to come together and fight for peace.
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ZARAH SULTANA:
The British AOC BY: SUSANNAH MAYALL
2019 was largely a failure for the UK Labour Party, losing the general election to Boris Johnson and the Conservative Party. However, there was a success for women, Coventry South elected 26 year old Zarah Sultana as their representative. Sultana has been a breath of fresh air during the new, centralist era of the Labour Party. In recent months, she has been one of the few Members of Parliament calling out the current government cabinet for their poor Covid response, when Keir Starmer (leader of the opposition) fails to do so.
Zarah Sultana is a working class Muslim, and a second generation immigrant from India. She stands for the working class and the younger generations, fighting the Tory Party on issues such as student debt, political elitism, social housing and public sector cuts. This is what makes her often dubbed “The British AOC” on Tiktok, the social media platform.
In the spirit of Earth Day, Sultana has called for a better global response to climate change. Her maiden speech, the first speech she made in parliament as an elected official, was largely focused on addressing climate change, saying “We have seen Australia burn, and Indonesia drown. We have seen our Earth titer on the brink of ruin.” She ended the speech calling for an international Green New Deal, to “Transition from disaster capitalism to a new society”. She spoke of her desire to connect nations and create a treaty more radical than the Paris Agreement, focusing on a shift
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to more socialist elements within society. Sultana quoted that she wants to “Unite the working class across borders, to say our lives are more important than anyones’ profits”.
Domestically, Sultana has vocally backed
She is currently focusing on the aftermath
the Socialist Green New Deal, created by
of the tragic murder of Sarah Everard, and
the Labour Party at the 2019 Labour
the Government’s response to it. Sultana
Conference. It is up to debate whether or
wrote a letter to the Prime Minister titled
not Labour will go through with their
“Ending Male Violence Against Women and
proposal, because they have said very
Girls”, in which she called the government
little about it since the conference. The
to “reverse the last decade’s cuts to
silence from the Labour Party could be
women’s services” and “ratify the Instanbul
because of the pandemic, or it could be
Convention on preventing and combating
deliberate avoidance, as the new wave
violence against women”, amongst others.
of Labour tries to distinguish itself from
Furthermore, after a vigil was held in
Jeremy Corbyn and democratic socialism.
Everard’s memory, the Conservatives voted
Nevertheless, Zarah Sultana has
for a “Police Crackdown Bill”, which
expressed her opinion on the matter,
threatens the right to protest by giving
saying “This should be a 1945 moment,
police power to place restrictions on any
with Labour promising a radical Green
protest they deem “may result in serious
New Deal to rebuild the economy with
disruption” and increases the punishment
climate and social justice at its heart.
for defacing statues to a 10 year prison
Anything less risks not only losing support
sentence. Zarah Sultana has been active
from young people, but also of
in her distaste for the bill, calling it “an
abandoning the hope to avert the climate
authoritarian attack on our fundamental
catastrophe.”
right to protest''.
Zarah Sultana’s maiden speech was in
Sultana is at the beginning of a promising
January 2020, and since then issues such
political career, and has already defined
as the Coronavirus have meant that
herself as a success for women, Muslims,
Sultana’s climate change work has taken
the working class, and the left wing. Being
a backseat. Throughout the pandemic,
part of the Labour minority in parliament,
Sultana has been advocating for the
she is faced with many challenges with
working class against public sector pay
getting her voice heard, yet frequently
cuts and for the extension of Free School
presents respectable arguments to
Meals (a scheme to ensure children
challenge the Conservative Government.
below the poverty line get at least one
Through this and the hopeful future she has
hot meal a day) to school breaks.
helped create for future female voices in British Parliament, Zarah Sultana has rightly earned her nickname as The British Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
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CLIMATE CHANGE AND COVID-19: TWO THREATS PLAGUING OUR WORLD BY ANTONIA PAULUS
If asked about the global threat or concern of 2020, one would expect people to name the Covid-19 pandemic that has turned lives upside down. Why would they not, when that was all anybody could think of this past year? That, however, is part of an even bigger problem that has lost attention with the pandemic happening - allowing it to grow without supervision.
Climate change: one of, if not the biggest threat to our lives as we know them, and apparently, the least interesting one. After a spike of awareness in 2018-19, it has gone down and with that, a lot of hope.
When Covid first appeared on a global scale, many countries´ first response was to initiate lockdowns, which immensely reduced waste coming from transportation or industrial activity. At first this seemed like good news, as it resulted in a drop in carbon emissions! However, it was the last good news concerning the topic. As the pandemic worsened and people began to realize its consequences, their attention was taken away from the issue that activists had fought to gain public respect for - and again, not without reason, as the pandemic was a current disaster hitting us right where it hurt: everywhere. Still, while a new issue hit, the old one did not dissolve.
Following the hope April offered to a hopeless situation, May brought the highest CO2 average ever detected (this is due to the fact that the particles stay in the atmosphere) - the faith that pausing modern life would at least slow down climate change a bit was as good as lost. Despite the drop in levels in the following months, carbon emissions are now trending at similar and higher levels.
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Beyond the dangers of rising emission
As many setbacks as Covid-19 has
levels, the pandemic poses even worse
created, it is also important to
effects on climate change through its
remember the good sides to everything.
influence and impact on society. As
During this special time of lockdown,
proven by history many times before, the
many people have adapted to a more
biggest threat to humankind tends to be
local lifestyle, a simpler one. It is only
itself: A recent example for this being
fair to hope that this will continue,
activism which became ”trendy“ to some
therefore reducing carbon emissions
and later forgotten about. In a situation
from travelling! The same faith can be
as crucial as this, attention being taken
put into the new trust in science many
away from important matters can
people have gained, or the good we
become incredibly fatal.
have found in the little things - and all this without even going further into the
When we, as a global community, started
impact climate change has had on
living in a pandemic, everything else
earth as a planet and its ecosystem.
seemed to wash away. For a long time life involved not much more than just one
Now, as we are hopefully nearing the
´s family, their house, and maybe a trip to
end of this pandemic, there will be new
the store once in a while. Life around us
challenges - but also new found
stopped. The same thing happened with
strength. This past year, one has been
politics: the pandemic took priority in
able to see how much the people can
legislative policy - due to this, and the
do, how much good and how much bad,
inability to travel or meet with other
and we have learned to cherish life like
politicians, important meetings and
never before. It is now in our hands to
international climate negotiations were
confront everything we, as a global
delayed or called off.
community, are facing - because although it is a lot, and it is not easy, it
Similar effects became visible in terms of
will eventually be the only way to save
monetary support for causes working
what we have.
against climate change. As the focus shifted away from general research to work on pandemic related projects, many research studies regarding the climate were put on hold, as well as the money funding them - as all resources were redirected to pandemic relief and research funds.
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Climate Change migration
During the past year, the coronavirus pandemic has taken over headlines around the globe. But another issue has quietly been worsening in the background: climate change. Climate change, also commonly referred to as global warming, is caused by the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is when sunlight gets trapped in the earth’s atmosphere due to greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide in the air. The sunlight trapped by the carbon-dioxide-filled atmosphere heats up the planet, much like greenhouses trap heat inside themselves to help plants grow. Although the greenhouse effect is natural to some extent, the amount of greenhouse gases humans are pumping into the atmosphere has greatly worsened it, and the planet is growing warmer by the year. A temperature increase of 2 degrees celsius has long been regarded as the gateway to dangerous warming. At the current rate, the global temperature is expected to increase by 3-5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. The concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere has increased more than 30% since the industrial revolution, making the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere the highest it has
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been in at least 800,000 years, further worsening the greenhouse effect and global warming.
Most people are somewhat aware of the consequences of climate change, whether it be the danger to many animals or the destruction of rainforests. But one consequence not many people are aware of is the growing number of migrants being displaced due to complications of global warming. Climate change can cause people to migrate for a multitude of reasons. Many places experience frequent drought, heatwaves, and wildfires as a result of global warming. Others face rising sea levels, frequent and extreme weather events, and warming and acidifying ocean waters. Many of these effects - specifically flooding, extreme weather, and droughts - can negatively impact food production and energy infrastructure. These outcomes of climate change can also disrupt transportation, allow opportunities for invasive species to grow, and lead to disease outbreaks.
Many places struggling with climate migration are developing countries where the climate crisis may send them into chaos. Climate change is a significant factor in migration from Central America to the United States and sub-Saharan Africa to Europe. In Northwestern Africa, rising sea levels, drought, and desertification are causing mass migration that puts strains on both the countries where the migrants are coming from and where they are trying to go. Meanwhile, in South Asia, increasing temperatures, rising sea levels, flooding rivers, and more frequent cyclones have brought on their own wave of climate migration. In addition, the rapid economic growth and urbanization in this part of the world may exacerbate the effects of climate change, hurting the area already as the demand for energy, and therefore fossil fuels, continues to increase.
So what can be done? Many experts believe that climate migrants should be given refugee status, giving them the same legal rights as refugees, as their number increases and the situations they come from grow increasingly more dangerous.When dealing with climate migration, obviously, the first choice would be to eliminate the need for it by taking drastic measures to protect the environment and reverse global warming. However, as we move closer to what scientists consider the point-of-no-return, we may need to consider other options. Making existing migration paths as safe as possible can help ease the strain on countries on the receiving end of climate migration. The last resort would be beginning to relocate whole communities in order to protect them from the dangerous effects of climate change preemptively. The climate crisis is a severe issue that affects real people;climate migration is just one example. It will take global teamwork to protect these
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climate migrants and eliminate the need for climate migration for generations to come.
CLIMATE CHANGE CAN BE
BY: REGAN MADDING
The Daily Climate has a Good Climate From the hurricanes on the east coast to fires scorching California to the icy crisis in Texas, we are witnessing, in real-time, how the lack of action on climate change is affecting us all.
News page on their website about positive news regarding climate change. In the spirit of respecting our Earth and keeping the momentum, I went through all of the articles linked on the website and chose the absolute best news! We all have to be
I, and many others my age, have spent many nights lying awake thinking about global warming and how it’s going to affect our generation and whoever comes after us. Sometimes the fate of Earth's future feels like it’s completely out of our hands, and it can be hard to keep up the motivation with taking climate action. For this reason, it is so important to remember good, hopeful climate news and recognize the positive steps people are taking to combat climate change.
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dedicated to putting in the work to save the planet, and it is important to acknowledge all of the work we have done already.
Electric vehicle production hits its stride Tons of new electric vehicles have hit the market. There are pros and cons to driving each new car. And according to a Wired article, it is increasingly important to make an effort to drive an electric vehicle. One of the most potent carbon sources is car fuel. Carbon emissions can create an abundance of greenhouse gasses, greenhouse gasses trap heat and cause the earth to be warmer than it should, according to a Sciencing article. If we can cut down the carbon emissions from cars, we have made a huge stride in climate action. The production of these new electric cars is a big step in that process.
Orange Energy Oranges that are too sour to eat could be used to power up to 73,000 homes for a year. According to the Fast Company article, the juice from the oranges mixes with bacteria and creates methane, then the rest of the orange is used for compost. This discovery is funny but also powerful, as it proves going green (or orange) doesn’t have to be expensive or difficult. It can be something as simple as repurposing old fruit.
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The right leadership John Kerry has been a planet crusader from the start. And now he is the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, according to a Rolling Stone article. Kerry will have a seat in all the important meetings and make sure the U.S. is being accountable in terms of climate decisions. With someone who has passion and knowledge regarding climate change now in a place of power, the U.S. could do a 180 from the Trump administration and begin to help the planet in all of the ways that count.
Climate and Economy Progress Many climate change deniers or people that claim it's not practical to act on climate change say that acting on climate would be bad for the economy. However, in a Fast Company article, it is said that hitting net-zero by 2050 (something many environmental scientists and activists claim is necessary) could add 1 trillion dollars to the economy, which is a big deal both economics and environment wise. The cost of climate action is some lost jobs, however, millions of jobs will be created allowing for an easy transition.
Recycling Land According to the Bay Journal, church leaders are converting a run-down forest in an urban area into a “peace park.” The church plans for the rehabilitated forest to be resilient and to be strong through different storms. The church is aiming to have a light carbon footprint. The healing of the forest will provide a healing space for the community.
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These are the top five pieces of good climate news as of recent, from economic growth to fruit-powered energy: when we come together we can save the planet, and these news stories prove it.
OPINION If you have been following American
BY EMMA MARZULLO
media in recent weeks, you have likely heard the name: Marjorie Taylor Greene
Representative Greene began her time
(R-GA). She often finds herself in the
in the Congressional office with strings
spotlight due to many of her unsavory and
of conspiracy theories and untrue
alt-right comments. The misinformation
remarks, starting with alt-right
she spreads threaten democratic ideals in
narratives about election fraud. During
the United States, making her a dangerous
her swearing-in ceremony, the
entity in the House.
politician donned a mask reading, “Trump Won” on the House floor. She is
Greene is a Representative in the House of
featured in videos published through
Representatives for Georgia’s 14th district,
her Twitter account pulling the mask
the most northwestern district in the state.
down under her nose, an action which
The area’s inhabitants are extremely
violates proper CDC pandemic
conservative, explaining the Republican
guidelines. The Representative had
stronghold over the district. During her
also taken to Twitter to spread false
campaign, Greene appealed strongly to
claims about a stolen election in
the conservative base by stressing the
Georgia, saying, “Make them commit
importance of traditional family models
to objecting to the stolen fraudulent
and sharing her concerns about the
election & #FightForTrump.” As a
economy and American businesses.
consequence, the social media site
However, her biggest campaign message
restricted her tweets, marked them
was not about public policy agenda at all-
with a ‘disputed’ label, and suspended
- it was her support for President Trump-
public content creation on her account
during his simultaneous presidential
for the following twelve hours.
campaign. In the 2020 general election, Greene received 74.7% of the votes, prompting her democratic challenger to unofficially withdraw from the race.
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On January 6th, 2021, following these widely promoted conspiracy theories about election fraud, Trump supporters stormed the United States Capitol building during the joint session between the House and Senate for the certification of the electoral college results. This violent display resulted in property damage as well as up to 140 participants injured and five individuals dead. Following the insurrection, Greene continued to spread conspiracies, questioning if the January 6th Insurrection participants were even QAnon and Trump supporters at all, tweeting, “If the #Jan6th organizers were Trump supporters, then why did they attack us while we were objecting to electoral college votes for Joe Biden?”
Nearly a month later, on February 1st, 2021, House Resolution 72 was introduced with 44 cosponsors and referred to the House Committee on Ethics. This was a resolution to expel Greene from her standing committees in the House after comments from years prior with anti-Semitic and racist tones resurfaced. Among those comments were more conspiracy theories about 9/11, the JFK assassination, school shootings and inappropriate photos of Greene posed with an assault rifle next to photographs of fellow Representatives Ocasio-Cortez and Omar. The resolution was quickly drafted then voted on just three days later. With the total tally coming out to 230-199, eleven of the yay votes belonging to fellow Republican party members, the Resolution was passed, and Greene was stricken from her committee assignments.
More recently, Greene has created a stir in the media with her attacks against the Equality Act which, at the time, was being debated in the House of Representatives. Greene issued a motion to adjourn the vote entirely, which gathered the attention of Representative Marie Newman of Illinois. Representative Newman’s office is directly across the hall from Greene’s. Naturally, Rep. Newman placed the white, blue, and pink transgender flag outside of her office in response. She proudly posted a video of her propping the flag up to her social media. Later the same day, Greene recreated the video, but placed a sign outside her office which read, “There are TWO genders, male & female, trust the science.” Using this ‘science’ is just a poor excuse for her disgusting display of transphobia. In our modern day and age, scientists understand that the production of estrogen and testosterone is not an equivalency to male and female. Scientists also account for intersex individuals and those with differences and disorders in sex development. Gender itself is not binary, it is a spectrum, and a social identity. By putting up this sign, Rep. Greene is positioning herself as an enemy to the transgender community. Not only that, but she is showing her resistance to
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intersectional feminism, which should support all women, not just cis, straight, white women.
Overall, Greene is an unpredictable entity in our legislative body, and if left unchecked, she will continue to grow her dangerous influence over the Republican party and conservatives across America- not just in Georgia. This cannot be allowed to continue.
Congress has the right, under Article I, Section 5, Clause 2 of the United States Constitution to “punish its Members for disorderly Behavior, and, with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a Member.” On March 19th, 2021, Rep. Gomez introduced House Resolution 260 to expel Greene from Congress. The resolution, which was referred to the House Committee on Ethics, has 72 democratic cosponsors. Currently, a summary is being drafted, and there is no further literature on the resolution.
Greene has spread conspiracy theories that have undermined democratic values and resulted in fatalities. Her positions are based on misinformation and alt-right morals, which are spreading bigotry throughout the divides in America. Although she was removed from her committee assignments, this is not enough to stop her. Representative Greene thrives off of causing controversy on the House floor. As long as she holds her seat, she will have an influential platform. This position of authority will not just allow her, but incentivize her, to unethically radicalize her base with lies. Due to her immoral comments, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene now finds herself with an uncertain future in the House of Representatives.
However, the only true solution is:
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The Mother of Modern
Environmentalism BY MEGAN BAKER
Marine biologist and nature writer Rachel Carson dedicated her life to oceanographic and zoological studies with an ardent zeal for environmental protection. After years of dedication, she became just the second woman hired by the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries in 1936 where she worked for 15 years. The scores of brochures and research she published during her time in this occupation brought both her and the global environmental movement to the forefront of public consciousness. However, Silent Spring, Carson’s 1962 book about pesticides, has solidified her long-lasting tenure as the “Mother of Modern Environmentalism”.
The inspiration for her groundbreaking work Silent Spring came from the content written in a letter she received from a friend regarding the empirical correlation between the loss of bird life and the use of pesticides. The central thesis — how the overuse of DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane) and other synthetic pesticides cause irreparable damage to wildlife and environmental ecosystems — lies as the argumentative crux of the book; what made this piece particularly groundbreaking was its extended claim that DDT’s impact extends beyond that on environmental ecosystems, plants, and animals. Carson claimed that DDT could impact human lives in its ability to cause cancer and other health complications.
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In publishing this work, Carson not only advocated on behalf of environmental protection, she also combatted against the injustices perpetrated by the chemical industry and suggested reform on individuals’ ability to question what governments and organizations put into the environment. Chemical companies consequently sought to discredit Carson and her work by painting her as a hysterical woman.
Critics launched personal attacks on Carson as a female scientist by imposing falsified political agendas to discredit her work. Opponents of Silent Spring accused her of being radical, disloyal, unscientific, and unpatriotic. Some critics even resorted to utilizing the surrounding anti-Communist political climate to further stymie Carson’s efforts: former Secretary of Agriculture Ezra Taft Benson insinuated to President Eisenhower that Carson was “probably a communist.”
Despite these efforts to negate Carson’s findings and quell her vocalizations, Carson emerged as an authoritative voice on environmental protection. The findings in her research and ideas were central testimony presented at two congressional hearings during the 1960s, a 1963 CBS Reports TV special titled “The Silent Spring of Rachel Carson,” and validating research contained within a report published by President Kennedy’s Science Advisory Committee all assisted in actualizing Carson’s objective of making pesticides a public issue and establishing her as a credible voice on environmental issues.
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Silent Spring is credited with inspiring the modern environmental movement. As Carson’s book gained popularity, more people rallied around government actions towards environmental consciousness; Carson and Silent Spring functioned as catalysts for the environmental movement that culminated into the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1970 and subsequent passage of laws banning the domestic use of DDT. The results from this movement permanently altered the way the public viewed its potential in speaking out against both the projected direction of science and technology as well as demanding accountability for those damaging the environment. The lasting impact of her findings still influences the environmental movement today; the use of pesticides has been linked to detrimental affecting the honeybee population, harming aquatic life, and contributing to air pollution. The scientific community continues to cite Carson’s work in studies regarding pesticide use and when evaluating governmental actions’ impact on the environment.
Despite the adversity she faced from corporate firms and government officials, Carson garnered impactful public support that has since resulted in increased activism behind construction on a national park, demonstrations for clean air and water cleanup, and accountability for those endangering the environment. While the specific outcomes of Carson’s work are difficult to discern, it remains clear that the ramifications of Silent Spring are still present today. The establishment of her voice as a female scientist speaking out for what she believes in paved the way for young female activists like Greta Thunberg and the like. In her ability to overcome sexist adversity marking her as a frantic, uninformed woman, Rachel Carson inspires the female scientists of today to continue persisting in the face of trials and tribulations. Carson’s legacy today emboldens us to remember that with the combination of passion and vocalization, we can be trailblazers in working towards a better tomorrow.
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Founder and Co-Exec. Director
Rebecca Joseph
Walnut Creek, CA | 15 years old My name is Rebecca Joseph and I am a highschool sophomore from the Bay Area. I got interested in politics during my first year of high school where I joined the Speech and Debate team. From there I fell in love with the world of politics, but soon became aware of the lack of representation women were getting in the field. I wanted to be part of a community of teens who want to support each other and the younger generation to pursue a career in politics; however, I was unable to find anything, so I started Women In Politics. Now, four months later I have been blessed with an amazing team and I cannot wait for all we are going to accomplish.
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Co-Exec. Director Katherine Bronov
Philadelphia, PA | 17 years old My name is Katherine Bronov and I am an online high school senior from the suburbs of Philadelphia, PA. I have been passionate about politics since the start of high school and I have searched for organizations and clubs that interest me but found nothing until Women In Politics (WIP) caught my eye. WIP is a very special organization and fascinatingly the first of its kind. I am so grateful to be a part of this team and work alongside girls that are just as enthusiastic about politics as I am and recognize the shortage of women in this important field. Please enjoy this issue!
Ella Stillion Southard Athens, GA | 16 years old
SRETIRW
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