For SP2, I recall Professor Duque’s astute commentary on research tools and methodologies found around MDC such as the library research tool allowing for students to access an enormous amount of information. I also reinvigorated my love for wildlife and nature. I have always been entranced by the environment around me; watching the stars fly above, chasing lizards and catching fireflies. Seeing people around the globe disrespecting and disregarding the earth is heartbreaking. For the post, the topic I selected to research was littering; specifically, how littering affects the world around us. It harms our ecosystem in countless ways, destroying marine life and polluting the air. Being a massive contributing factor towards climate change, I believe it should be dealt with as soon as possible. Writing my submission was like a rollercoaster of emotions. I felt heartbreak at seeing the environment ravaged, anger towards the people responsible, and hope at seeing the efforts in place to restore the said environment. I’m glad I was given the opportunity to work on this assignment, as the meeting with Professor Duque provided me with an avenue to express my thoughts on an issue so prevalent even today.

         For CAS2, keeping in tandem with my common study theme of issues regarding climate change, I researched sustainable development. I covered two important parts of sustainable development: the ozone layer and renewable energy sources. Firstly, I learned so much about the ozone layer. It is a coating of gas in our atmosphere that covers the globe, deflecting much of the sun’s harmful radiation. Not too long ago, scientists discovered a hole in the layer over Antarctica and predicted that it would all be gone by 2050. Thankfully, this story is a happy one, as the ozone layer is healing. Through unprecedented acts as a community, we have been able to cause the hole to begin shrinking and prevent a catastrophe. As for renewable energy, I learned and researched mainly tidal power, which is generated from turbines on the sea floor harnessing the immense power of the ocean. These, in partnership with nuclear energy, have the potential to power the homes of every person in the United States, possibly even the globe. Many have already been installed in various countries. While they do require quite a large financial investment, many scientists seem to agree that the pros far outweigh the cons. I feel that, as a person, studying avenues of mending climate change has been extremely insightful. It has allowed me to view the world and its problems in an unbiased manner and has given me the opportunity to do my part in order to help my ecosystem.

The Story of Bottled Water, a short infographic video, tells the reality of the bottled water industry. The central question being, “How do you get Americans to buy more than half a billion bottles of water every week when it already flows virtually free from the tap?” (2). Through the course of a few minutes, this video ventures into the bottled water industry, highlighting its war on tap water and conniving advertising to cover up its horrible environmental effects. The Story of Bottled Water exposes one key thing that no big company wants the public to really see: their waste production. The literal mountains of plastic, most of which will end up either in a landfill, incinerator, or just laying around the street, are the consequence of their greed. The main point of the short film is to call for the public to make a commitment to tap water, investing in a clean and sustainable future, instead of coercing a wasteful one through supporting bottled water.

As a global citizen, I am a resident of planet Earth. As it stands, Earth is really our only home. Until the day humanity unlocks interstellar travel, we’d better take care of it. Over-consumption is, to me, one of the biggest problems there is. Unfortunately, due to our way of life, everyone naturally takes part in it. Even minute things such as buying a snack from a vending machine or even grocery shopping can be considered consumption. I, myself, try to minimize my consumption. I grow a lot of the food I cook, such as vegetables or fruit, and try to purchase the rest from sources I know are sustainable. Otherwise, shopping at large chain companies has adverse effects on the environment. For example, shopping at Walmart might not seem like it’s doing a lot to negatively affect the biosphere, but it does. Giving Walmart revenue allows the company to develop further, which has already proven to have a major impact, causing problems such as habitat loss, water pollution, and air pollution (3). Of course, large companies like Walmart usually have sustainability programs, but these programs often times fail to address topics such as land use.

After watching The Story of Stuff videos, I was enlightened to many facts. Fortunately, I actively participate in beach cleanup services, as I enjoy taking care of my local environment. However, addressing the problem of marine pollution is much larger than just what I can do alone. Efforts to reduce the amount of waste in the ocean have been underway for years now, and still have much left to go. There must be a unified effort to aid our marine environment from this synthetic enemy. Additionally, watching The Story of Bottled Water completely opened my eyes. Prior to the video, I had never known just how bad the bottled water industry could get. In fact, I would regularly purchase water bottles from the MDC vending machines. To be completely honest, I am quite disappointed. Fortunately, however, I have countless reusable bottles at home. After seeing the literal mountains of plastic that come from bottled water companies, I will make an effort to avoid plastic water bottles.

Works Cited:

Thornell, Christina, and Kimberly Mas. “Why You Don't Hear about the Ozone Layer Anymore.” Vox, Vox, 24 Nov. 2021, https://www.vox.com/videos/22800835/ozone-hole-layer-80s-environmental-challenge.

In the 1980s, scientists found a hole in the ozone layer directly over the South Pole. The ozone layer is an essential layer of gas that covers the globe, vital in deflecting much of the sun’s harmful radiation. Unfortunately, the scientists also discovered that this layer of protection was rapidly disappearing, calculating that by 2050 it would all be gone. This event would be horrible to all life on earth: increasing skin cancer rates, harming crops, and destroying the marine food chain, and life as we know it would cease to exist. However, the ozone layer is healing. In an unprecedented act, the world united to prevent a catastrophe. Spearheaded by Dr. Susan Solomon, an endeavor to solve the ozone crisis went underway. Scientists ventured to Antarctica and discovered that the main problem stemmed from Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Through a chemical chain reaction, these CFCs would systematically destroy the Ozone around it. CFCs were everywhere during the ‘80s, being used in refrigerators, aerosol cans, air conditioners, Styrofoam. Millions of consumer products around the world caused the ozone levels to drop to 50%. Holding press conferences, Dr. Solomon brought this crisis to the attention of the public, therefore pressuring leaders around the world to take urgent action to prevent the ozone layer’s depletion. Eventually, every country signed the protocol, making it the only universal treaty to ever be ratified as well as the most successful environmental agreement in human history. Since the protocol went into effect, the ozone hole has stopped growing and has begun to shrink. It is projected that by 2065 the hole will be recovered completely.

Rajagopal, Aditi. “Tidal Energy Could Be Huge – Why Isn't It?” Solutions U®, Deutsche Welle, 26 Nov. 2021, https://solutionsu.solutionsjournalism.org/stories/tidal-energy-could-be-huge-why-isn-t-it.

Tidal power, in essence, is a type of renewable energy that is generated when turbines on the sea floor are turned by the force of the ocean. These turbines utilize the power of tides and have the potential to power the homes of every person in the United States. Plants containing countless of these turbines have been constructed in various countries. However, they require an enormous amount of money to create, which is why they have been seen mostly in wealthy countries in the Northern Hemisphere. These turbines have been around for a long time as well, with the first one being built in the 1960s. In comparison to other energy sources, tidal energy seems to be a sort-of middle ground. While being much cheaper than nuclear energy, they are much more expensive and costly to build than energy sources such as wind turbines or solar power. But, while its financial costs are higher than other renewables, it’s predictable supply of net energy to the grid could outweigh those costs. In addition to the amount of power they emit, they are also very ecofriendly. Because of the slow rate at which the turbines spin, there is a low chance of danger to the surrounding wildlife. While there will be some environmental effects, such as ecology displacement, it is justifiable in the context of climate change.  

Climate change is an enormous issue. It has been one for a while, but now more so than ever. First and foremost, the ozone layer crisis is one that should be indicative to the globe that there needs to be change. Thankfully, an unprecedented act caused it to begin remedying itself, but the facts of the would-be catastrophe are extremely insightful. As seen evidently by the rampant unhealthy consumerism during the 1980s, the growing hole in the ozone layer was undoubtedly caused by humans. Specifically, it was caused by the use of Chlorofluorocarbons in the products we used to use. This narrative can be expanded to almost everything surrounding climate change. Deforestation, palm oil usage, burning fossil fuels, farming livestock, these are but some of the things causing the acceleration of global warming through stockpiling greenhouse gases. Personally, I believe that the world must come together in another unifying fashion in order to prevent another catastrophe. Thankfully, it is good to know that many are taking the right step towards avoidance. By reading the article “Tidal Energy Could Be Huge – Why Isn’t It?” by Deutsche Welle, I learned about tidal energy. Being such a big nuclear energy fan myself, I was surprised when I did my research on this renewable form of energy. Generated by turbines on the sea floor, this method generates an enormous amount of power. Despite being very expensive, many believe that its pure amount of net energy gain outweighs the financial costs. There are also debates on marine ecological displacement, but in the context of climate change, there must be a sacrifice for the greater good. Finally, the way these articles presented the information were extremely helpful. There is a clear push for the advocacy of climate change prevention, which in my eyes is needed. Many other media outlets portray global warming as something that, while foreboding, is an issue of the future. Obviously, this is far from the truth. In order to prevent that future from becoming a reality, we must take the necessary actions in the present.

Briggs, Kevin. “The Bridge between Suicide and Life.” Kevin Briggs: The Bridge between Suicide and Life | TED Talk, TED, Mar. 2014, https://www.ted.com/talks/kevin_briggs_the_bridge_between_suicide_and_life?referrer=playlist-let_s_end_the_silence_around_s&autoplay=true.

In this TED Talk, Kevin Briggs shares stories of his time working as a Highway Patrolman. During his career, he would patrol San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, a popular site for suicide attempts. For many years, his job was dark, unusual, and at times strangely rewarding. Countless times, Briggs himself has spoken to those contemplating the leap from the bridge, sharing their stories and offering powerful advice to those with loved ones who might be contemplating suicide. The most prominent encounter he had taken the form of Kevin Berthia, a man standing on the small pipe surrounding the bridge. For the next hour and a half, Officer Briggs listened to Berthia speak about his depression and hopelessness, eventually enough so that he decided to climb over the rail and give life another chance. Upon asking what made him decide to keep on living, Kevin simply responded with: "You listened." Today, Kevin is a loving father and speaks openly about his depression in the hopes that his story will inspire others.

Schramm, JD. "Break the Silence for Suicide Attempt Survivors." JD Schramm: Break the Silence for Suicide Attempt Survivors | TED Talk, TED, 2011, https://www.ted.com/talks/jd_schramm_break_the_silence_for_suicide_attempt_survivors?referrer=playlist-let_s_end_the_silence_around_s&autoplay=true.

Even when someone appears completely fine on the outside, within their own private space could be a world of silent torment, causing many to come to the decision to end their life. At TEDYou, JD Schramm asks people to break the silence surrounding suicide and suicide attempts in order to allow for more widespread resources to help people who have chosen life after escaping death. Schramm tells the story of John, a man who had everything going for him. Despite how his life was seemingly perfect, he was struggling with addiction and depression. Eventually, John had decided to commit suicide by jumping off the Manhattan Bridge. Miraculously, however, John survived. After maintaining multiple life-threatening injuries and drifting in-and-out of consciousness, John made it to the hospital and lived. He decided to keep living, but was distraught when he found very few resources available to those who have survived suicide. Research shows that 95% of people who attempt suicide will fail, but the people who fail are 37% more likely to succeed the second time. This is why they need available resources, they're essentially a highly at-risk population. This lack of aid could cause many to feel isolated, even sometimes more hopeless than they were before. 

The topic of suicide and suicide prevention is a very personal subject. I believe it is extremely important to educate people about it, as the stigma surrounding both it and mental health does copious amounts of damage. As a high school senior, I know firsthand that suicide is a glaring issue in the student population. Unfortunately, there are some that choose to shame anyone who speaks out about the topic due to social taboos, but the fact of the matter is that we need to speak up. Both TED videos bring up great ways to deal with suicide. Regarding Officer Briggs' experiences, I believe that listening is one of the most important things a person can do. When I volunteered for the Crisis Text Line, I was trained on how to talk to someone contemplating suicide. I was taught to be open and direct, non-critical, and above all to be willing to listen. Sometimes just giving someone a chance to speak is enough to save their life. In relation to JD Schramm's anecdote, a big problem that must be addressed is the fact that suicide attempt survivors do not have many resources available to them. Citing the research he spoke about, people who have already attempted suicide once are a very at-risk population. Without proper help and guidance, the next decision to end their life is more likely to be their last. In conclusion, I believe that suicide must exit the realm of social taboos. It must be spoken about openly in order to allow those contemplating to seek aid without feeling judged. In addition, there is a very clear correlation between suicide rates and climate change. According to a Stanford study led by Marshall Burke, there is a link between increased temperatures and suicide rates. The published work states that, if climate change continues to run uncontrolled, there will be an additional 21,000 suicides by the year 2050. This only exacerbates the issue of global warming, highlighting how important it is for us to come together as a community and put a stop to it.

Horton, Michelle. “The Effects of Climate Change on Suicide Rates.” Stanford Earth, Woods Institute For The Environment, 29 Mar. 2019, https://earth.stanford.edu/news/effects-climate-change-suicide-rates#gs.s7239r.

Rajagopal, Aditi. “Tidal Energy Could Be Huge – Why Isn't It?” YouTube, DW Planet A, 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-2TyKqP84o.