tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85426058935659078272024-03-06T00:33:25.092-05:00A L E X A N D R A s h o s t a kEnvironmentalist, writer, and cat lady.Alexandra Shostakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11517091878608894496noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8542605893565907827.post-88399219163437629302020-05-28T20:57:00.002-04:002021-11-14T11:48:00.489-05:00PBS: Sinking CitiesI'm not doing well at updating the blog right now. My best intentions are to continue to provide resources and tips for using real environmental science to create good cli-fi and eco-fiction. But this summer I'm taking Calculus and Physics (plus lab) at the same time over a 10-week period, plus starting a new novel (with wildfires!) So...<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDAKKQuBtDo">the limit may not exist for Cady Heron</a>, but I'll fail my exams if I write that for every answer.<br />
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That being said, I recently watched <a href="https://www.pbs.org/video/sinking-cities-miami-bcdxzj/">the Miami episode of the PBS documentary series "Sinking Cities"</a> and it was amazing. If anyone is wondering about sea level rise, I highly recommend this series. It covers what sea level rise looks like currently, why sea walls may not be solutions for every area (thanks, Karst topography,) and looks to the future while envisioning possible solutions (stay and try to overcome with technology, or retreat inland?)<br />
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So, until I can go into a little more detail on sea level rise, flooding, and why it's Antarctica we really need to be worrying about (the floating Arctic melting doesn't directly contribute to sea level rise--the indirect consequences have to do with <a href="https://www.universetoday.com/39937/albedo-effect/">the albedo effect</a>), I hope you'll take my recommendation and watch "Sinking Cities." Plus, some of the technology is really cool and would look great in a near-future science fiction story!Alexandra Shostakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11517091878608894496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8542605893565907827.post-84595092429089161452020-05-18T11:30:00.000-04:002020-05-18T11:30:01.954-04:00Florida Ecosystems: Pine FlatwoodsIf you're writing eco fiction or cli-fi, getting an ecological setting right is essential. I'm fortunate enough to have a job that allows me to explore the ecosystems in my very own Florida county. During lockdown I've also been attending webinars to learn more about the natural areas all around me.<br />
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In the spirit of sharing ecological knowledge, I'm going to write a series of posts about ecosystems from the perspective of using them to create rich settings. I'll start with Florida, but I'll probably move to other parts of the country/world as my imagination stretches.<br />
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A major and important ecosystem in Florida is the pine flatwood. This is an upland ecosystem, and <a href="http://www.sfrc.ufl.edu/Extension/florida_forestry_information/forest_resources/pine_flatwoods.html">according to UF/IFAS</a>, pine flatwoods cover 50% of the state. I know it's weird to think of evergreen trees in Florida (aren't they adapted to cold weather?) but we've got a few pine species, including the slash pine, the longleaf pine, and the sabal pine.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKNy-uvjk1Szewz82Rsu-kYPZs1hSnICLXIR61pGdWiQKz6k6NNZ4qJ5wz_DRjQfqWkPQ43v1M-pHdG3xk1-_-jcwQr0IzzxBx9-DGJYENQHYOZ1z1w43Oy1ymjsn8RkYejst5ypiCpsU/s1600/IMG_1325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKNy-uvjk1Szewz82Rsu-kYPZs1hSnICLXIR61pGdWiQKz6k6NNZ4qJ5wz_DRjQfqWkPQ43v1M-pHdG3xk1-_-jcwQr0IzzxBx9-DGJYENQHYOZ1z1w43Oy1ymjsn8RkYejst5ypiCpsU/s200/IMG_1325.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you look near the bottom of the trunks, you can see the darker areas indicating scorch marks. I took this picture, so please don't steal it. :)</td></tr>
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What's cool about these ecosystems is how they depend on fire. Florida's upland ecosystems also contain oaks, which can out-compete pines if an ecosystem goes too long without fire. Natural wildfires clear out the underbrush, including the tiny oak sprouts, leaving room for the pines to flourish. So if you're in a pine flatwood in Florida look for scorch-marks on the tree trunks.<br />
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If you're writing a pine flatwood:<br />
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<b>FLORA - </b>Pine canopies aren't dense like some forests, so expect dappled shade and even intense sun in some spots. While pines are dominant, you'll see plenty of other species (including oaks) mixed in. Saw Palmetto (which looks like a weird little palm tree) is a frequent inhabitant of these upland areas, and if it gets really thick walking through that part of the forest can be hard.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjIRxptzFNwsVxIiE9nSyXJjYqTd0_AftMPSpdp52sA0V2ZpQwoPGG5RfnfusI7uBod3UtsvHmqp_Rke3KfXGKJ309YRvOCTyEvY20yP7uvAV2loqW-FPxQxNskCAFmhusRAKAIPWGh6A/s1600/IMG_1345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjIRxptzFNwsVxIiE9nSyXJjYqTd0_AftMPSpdp52sA0V2ZpQwoPGG5RfnfusI7uBod3UtsvHmqp_Rke3KfXGKJ309YRvOCTyEvY20yP7uvAV2loqW-FPxQxNskCAFmhusRAKAIPWGh6A/s320/IMG_1345.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pine flatwoods can look like fairytale settings! (Again, this is my picture, no stealing please.)</td></tr>
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<b>FAUNA - </b><a href="https://corkscrew.audubon.org/conservation/pine-flatwoods">Audubon has a list</a> of animal species commonly found in pine flatwoods, including the Florida Panther, the black bear, the pileated woodpecker, and the bald eagle (though there are certainly many more.) Hearing animal noises and bird calls is par for the course when wandering this type of ecosystem. Watch out for butterflies, too.<br />
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The feel of the air on your skin and the scent of the ecosystem changes based on when you go. If you hit up a flatwood in the middle of July it's going to be sticky and humid. If you go in the middle of winter, you'll see less greenery (we do have deciduous trees down here in Florida) but you'll enjoy much crisper air, kind of like a northern fall (but without the color change, unfortunately.) Scorched trunks don't mean everything smells like burning wood; in fact, expect to smell pine and other greenery.<br />
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<b>WET/DRY SEASON</b> - Florida is dominated by wet/dry seasonality much more so than the four seasons of the north. Depending on the time of year, the ground might be totally dry and sandy, or there may be waterlogged portions after heavy rains.<br />
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What will happen to pine flatwoods as the climate changes? Because these are upland systems, they are unlikely to be impacted by sea level rise. However, changing temperatures and climate could affect the composition of the species in these ecosystems. If, for example, something disrupted the prevalence of wildfires, <a href="https://climateadaptationexplorer.org/habitats/terrestrial/1310">woodier species would start to take over</a> and the ecosystem would transition away from pines. Even something as simple as increased incidences of drought would alter the flora present, because many Florida species are adapted to having a wet/dry seasonal cycle.<br />
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Including human impacts would make this post far too long, so I'll save that for another day. Thanks for reading!Alexandra Shostakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11517091878608894496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8542605893565907827.post-19670148308109821362020-04-30T09:01:00.001-04:002020-06-16T12:34:14.038-04:00Favorite Novels with Environmental Themes<b>THE BROKEN EARTH TRILOGY by NK Jemisin</b> - A truly fantastic trilogy with astounding world-building and characters. The Earth is also a character, fighting back against humans for trying to control it. Natural disasters on a scale that can wipe entire civilizations.<br />
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<b>THE SOUTHERN REACH TRILOGY by Jeff VanderMeer</b> - The ecology of Area X is deceptively normal at first, and it's fun to realize just how alien this new environment is as the characters explore it.<br />
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<b>THE SALT LINE by Holly Goddard Jones</b> - A world similar to ours, but with a major difference: a deadly tick population has exploded, causing humans to retreat behind "salt lines" to create safe, enclosed spaces. The book's main characters venture into tick territory as part of a thrill-seeking experience.<br />
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<b>PARABLE OF THE SOWER by Octavia Butler</b> - Reading this, it's hard to imagine Butler published it in 1993. Her vision of climate change and the resulting economic damage is frighteningly accurate. I haven't read the rest of the Earthseed books, but they're high on my list.<br />
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<b>THE MADDADDAM TRILOGY by Margaret Atwood</b> - These books deftly balance portraits of the world pre- and post-plague. The pre-plague world is so dominated by corporations and genetic foolery, the plague kind of does it a favor.<br />
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<b>I'm excited to read...</b><br />
<i>Gold Fame Citrus</i> by Claire Vaye Watkins<br />
<i>South Pole Station</i> by Ashley Shelby<br />
<i>Memory of Water</i> by Emmi Itaranta<br />
<i>Borne</i> by Jeff VanderMeer<br />
<i>Blackfish City</i> by Sam J. Miller<br />
<i>Clade</i> by James Bradley<br />
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What about your favorite eco-fiction novels? Got any recommendations for me?Alexandra Shostakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11517091878608894496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8542605893565907827.post-50718179972371674952020-03-02T17:00:00.002-05:002020-03-02T17:00:45.953-05:00What Is Scientific Uncertainty?Inspired by <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/02/climate/goks-uncertainty-language-interior.html">this infuriating piece in the NYT</a>, I want to go over the concept of scientific uncertainty.<br />
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Scientific uncertainty is a concept meant to remove bias and prevent scientific findings from becoming misleading. It means that, in any given experiment, there may be variables that the scientist can't see or can't control. Those variables could affect the experiment or the findings. Or, they may have nothing to do with it. Whatever an experiment or an observational study found, uncertainty has to do with how much variability might exist within the data. It does not mean an experiment was poorly done, or someone's findings are garbage. <a href="https://www.elsevier.com/reviewers/what-is-peer-review">Peer reviewed papers</a> contain uncertainty because it is part of good science.<br />
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The more times an experiment is done, and the more scientists who have nothing to do with each other perform it (i.e. from different institutions or from different parts of the world or even in different decades) the more uncertainty is reduced. These people hone the findings, explore different avenues, and continue to eliminate questions until humans have got a pretty good idea of what's going on. Guess where that gets us? To our current model of the universe, or of the atom, or our understanding of gravity. All concepts which scientists continue to study today, and will continue to study.<br />
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If you're going to talk about scientific uncertainty, you also have to talk about consensus. Take anthropogenic climate change: <a href="https://thebulletin.org/2019/08/millions-of-times-later-97-percent-climate-consensus-still-faces-denial/">scientists are</a> <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/11/4/048002/meta">at CONSENSUS</a> that human activity is causing damaging climate change that will have adverse effects on biomes and on human civilization across the globe. Of course there will be scientists who disagree. Some of them are paid to disagree (if you don't believe me, read MERCHANTS OF DOUBT by Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway).<br />
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Scientific uncertainty is NOT an excuse to continue to deny climate change, or to warp or intentionally misrepresent the findings of a huge group of scientists in such a way that promotes bad policy. Uncertainty is not permission to cherry pick results.Alexandra Shostakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11517091878608894496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8542605893565907827.post-76071229750405492322020-01-14T09:00:00.000-05:002020-03-01T08:43:40.548-05:00DuPont and Dark WatersI've lived in Florida since 2012, but I was born in Ohio, in a county that touches the Ohio River. The city of Parkersburg, WV, where the DuPont C8 scandal took place, was a 45-minute drive away from me. We used to visit the neighboring city Vienna to go to the mall and to Borders (RIP Borders.)<br />
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DuPont secretly did health studies on employees who worked closely with Teflon and dumped PFOA pollution into the Ohio River. The story is a damning and scary one, and will make you realize just how many chemicals were grandfathered in as "safe" on <a href="https://www.epa.gov/toxics-release-inventory-tri-program/tri-listed-chemicals">the EPA's list</a>.<br />
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The story continues to inspire how I approach my writing (both fiction and academic) and how I approach the Anthropocene, scientific uncertainty, attitudes towards corporations, and how individuals can keep fighting the difficult Anthropocene fight.<br />
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I highly recommend seeing the movie Dark Waters, both because it's a good story and because it's pretty true to the source material, all things considered. Also read "<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/10/magazine/the-lawyer-who-became-duponts-worst-nightmare.html">Nathaniel Rich's article The Lawyer Who Became DuPont's Worst Nightmare</a>" at NYT.<br />
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Additional reading:<br />
<a href="https://slate.com/culture/2019/11/dark-waters-accuracy-fact-vs-fiction-teflon-dupont.html">What's Fact and What's Fiction in Dark Waters</a><br />
<a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/genna-reed/dark-waters-speaks-the-truth-about-pfas">DuPont's Worst Nightmare: "Dark Waters" Speaks the Truth About PFAS Science</a><br />
<a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/how-the-epa-and-the-pentagon-downplayed-toxic-pfas-chemicals">How the EPA and the Pentagon Downplayed a Growing Toxic Threat</a><br />
<a href="https://www.epa.gov/pfas/basic-information-pfas">Basic Information on PFAS</a>Alexandra Shostakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11517091878608894496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8542605893565907827.post-50174066490677968832020-01-12T10:51:00.002-05:002020-01-12T10:51:33.308-05:00The Folly of Individual ResponsibilityIn studying environmental science and following environmentalist Facebook pages, Twitters, and blogs, I've noticed an extreme focus on individual responsibility in fighting climate change. This focus typically involves listing things individuals should do in order to help the planet.<br />
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I may catch flack for saying this, but we don't have the choices available to us to truly make a difference on an individual level...YET. For one thing, figuring out which companies are truly sustainable and which are greenwashed takes research. Not everyone has the time, inclination, or the reliable internet connection to do that research. For another, sustainable products tend to be more expensive, and not everyone has the funds to purchase them.<br />
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But the largest reason making my blood boil? Big companies are the largest polluters, the most complicit in the climate change problem. Putting the impetus to change on the individual is the most toothless way to combat climate change, because it divides us into units of one and it obscures where the largest problems are coming from. We are stronger TOGETHER, with our voices amplified. And I believe, just from personal life observations, that making people feel ashamed that they aren't sustainable enough in their lifestyles and need to do more is a surefire way to make people less interested in this global problem. We can encourage individual action without making people feel bad that they aren't perfect.<br />
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Do I think individuals are powerless? Of course not. Living as sustainable a life as possible is important and does help. But we should not focus on individual action at the expense of holding corporations responsible.<br />
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How do we fix it? VOTE. WRITE TO CANDIDATES AND TELL THEM YOU CARE ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT AND EXPECT TO SEE IT IN THEIR PLATFORMS. WRITE TO YOUR REPRESENTATIVES. WRITE TO COMPANIES.<br />
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Please don't take my word for it:<br />
<a href="http://theconversation.com/climate-change-focusing-on-how-individuals-can-help-is-very-convenient-for-corporations-108546">Climate change: focusing on how individuals can help is very convenient for corporations</a><br />
<a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/yes-actually-individual-responsibility-essential-solving-climate-crisis">Yes, Actually, Individual Responsibility is Essential to Solving the Climate Crisis</a><br />
<a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/434601-personal-responsibility-is-not-enough-to-fix-climate-change">Personal responsibility is not enough to fix climate change</a><br />
<a href="https://sustainability.asu.edu/media/wrigley-lecture-series/who-is-responsible/">Who Is Responsible for Climate Change?</a><br />
<br />Alexandra Shostakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11517091878608894496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8542605893565907827.post-90495310323752272642019-08-28T13:17:00.003-04:002019-09-30T07:43:53.352-04:0030-Day ChallengeOne of the to-do list items in the <a href="https://www.rainforest-alliance.org/30days">30-Day Challenge</a> is to engage someone skeptical about climate change in a discussion. I'm broadening that aspect of the challenge to encompass engaging everyone in a discussion.<br />
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I'm in school for environmental science, and I'm learning a lot of cool things. One purpose of this blog is to share what I'm learning, and emphasize that we are never done learning. I currently do not live nearly as sustainable a lifestyle as I could, but I'm trying to make improvements and glean information from others on this journey with me. I like to share the resources I've found so others can view them and come to their own conclusions, while still highlighting issues I find important. I also love receiving new resources and perspectives from others.<br />
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Have anything cool to share? Want me to help you find some resources about environmental science or climate change? Want to engage in a productive discussion about the issues facing humanity and our planet? I'm here for that. Come learn with me.Alexandra Shostakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11517091878608894496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8542605893565907827.post-81655991536104609262019-08-22T20:10:00.001-04:002019-09-30T07:43:47.488-04:00The Rainforest Alliance's 30-Day ChallengeThe Rainforest Alliance hosts a <a href="https://www.rainforest-alliance.org/30days">30-day sustainability challenge</a>. When you sign up, you receive an email every 3 days giving you sustainability tips, for a total of 30 days.<br />
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I just signed up. I won't spoil the fun and reveal everything the challenge offers, but I'll be chronicling some of my journey here on this blog. The first email includes several actions to take, from simple to time-consuming, and explains why each action is beneficial to your community and the planet.<br />
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Because some of the tips may take longer than a single day to complete, I will probably be writing about this for longer than 30 days.<br />
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For anyone paying attention to the fires in the rainforest or the record-setting heat waves or any other stressful Anthropocene news, sign up. This is a jumping off point for taking action.Alexandra Shostakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11517091878608894496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8542605893565907827.post-935711801668840352019-08-15T09:00:00.000-04:002019-09-30T07:43:32.632-04:00On Oceanic Garbage PatchesWhy is it so important that we refuse single-use plastic and other materials? Because those materials are often not disposed of correctly (even municipal trash collection and disposal has its issues) and end up in terrifying oceanic gyres called garbage patches (which also have a significant amount of ship waste and fishing gear within them). The gyres themselves are natural phenomena to do with ocean tides, but because of human waste, they're now filled with garbage [1, 2].<br />
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When I first learned about the garbage patches 10 years ago, I imagined floating islands of plastic bottles. However, the garbage patches are more nefarious because the garbage isn't all floating on the surface, and it isn't all concentrated into neat island-like shapes. The patches are areas of high garbage density, much of which is floating slightly below the surface. The density is higher in the center and lower around the edges, making measuring <i>and</i> alleviating the garbage very difficult [1].<br />
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How can we fix the garbage patches? That's the question scientists and other interested parties are trying to answer right now. What everyone can do right now is reduce your dependence on single-use items, to prevent this type of pollution from becoming more significant than it already is. Advances in robotics might be able to start cleaning the patches up. Students from the University of San Diego designed and are testing a robot capable of removing marine debris [3].<br />
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If it seems like a problem too big for one person's actions to have any impact, I understand that frustration. It often feels like my actions alone aren't enough. That's why it's important that we, collectively, choose to eschew single-use disposables. Invest in reusables wherever you can: water bottles, grocery bags, food containers, portable silverware, straws, etc. If you're financially able, check out refillery stories that are popping up: these stores allow you to bring your own containers to buy bulk food items or cleaning products, cutting down on the amount of plastic produced to sell these items retail.<br />
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I'm going to say this a lot on this blog, but it's worth repeating: (if you have the ability) contact businesses, large and small, <i>and</i> your government representatives about topics you find important. Businesses depend on consumers, and our government is elected to represent us.<br />
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[1] The Great Pacific Garbage Patch <a href="https://theoceancleanup.com/great-pacific-garbage-patch/">The Ocean Cleanup</a><br />
[2] Garbage Patches. <a href="https://marinedebris.noaa.gov/info/patch.html">NOAA</a><br />
[3] Stickney, R. Robot Designed to Clean Ocean Tested in San Diego. <a href="https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Robot-Designed-to-Clean-Ocean-Tested-in-San-Diego-USD-Clear-Blue-Sea-530811671.html">MSNBC San Diego</a>Alexandra Shostakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11517091878608894496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8542605893565907827.post-37751488443329924382019-08-12T09:00:00.000-04:002019-09-30T07:43:24.116-04:00Do you *believe* in global warming?Because I've been asked the question "do you believe in global warming?" before, I want to make something clear about science and scientists. Climate scientists don't "believe" in global warming or anthropogenic climate change. They look at an extensive body of peer-reviewed evidence that supports a variety of hypotheses surrounding climate change, and they come to a consensus. Data from many studies show that 97% of scientists are in agreement that anthropogenic influences are acting on our climate [1].<br />
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Most people, me included, have not extensively studied this body of evidence. I'm happy to listen to a large body of scientists who have been studying climate change for decades, especially given that their work has been peer-reviewed. While pursuing my degree in environmental science I have read both primary and secondary source material on the subject. If you look at that 97% and wonder why it's not 100%, because of the way science is structured (repeatable methods, a discussion of results that does its best to remove human influence, attempts at objectivity) it's rare to get 100% agreement. Even the well-loved theory of general relativity is getting an upgrade right now because scientists are <i>always</i> exploring and experimenting. [2]<br />
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I don't say this with a political agenda, because I don't think the concept of climate change itself (or science in general) should be part of a political agenda. What to <i>do</i> about it has myriad political connotations and will vary with political and economic opinions.<br />
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If you're curious, the NASA source below has an extensive list of organizations supporting the validity of human-caused climate change. The page also gives a brief explanation of the term "scientific consensus."<br />
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[1] Scientific Consensus: Earth's Climate Is Warming. <a href="https://climate.nasa.gov/scientific-consensus/">NASA</a><br />
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[2] Rabie, Passant. Move Over, Einstein! 'Chameleon' Theory Provides Alternate Explanation for Cosmos Formation. <a href="https://www.space.com/chameleon-theory-alternative-gravity-model.html">Space.com</a>Alexandra Shostakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11517091878608894496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8542605893565907827.post-61786294566301592582019-08-10T09:00:00.000-04:002019-09-30T07:43:01.042-04:00Eco-Fiction and Cli-FiThe genre of science fiction in which I write can be called eco-fiction or cli-fi (climate fiction). Eco-fiction (which is sometimes short for environmental fiction) focuses on a protagonist vs. nature approach, often with overtones of environmentalism (though an Anthropocene commentary is not necessary.) Cli-fi includes world-building focused on climate change and its consequences. They aren't the exact same thing, but they have significant overlap in many cases.<br />
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One of my favorite examples of eco-fiction is NK Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy (beginning with <i>The Fifth Season</i>). <i>Oryx and Crake</i> by Margaret Atwood (the first in the MaddAddam trilogy) is another great read.</div>
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Have you ever read eco-fiction or cli-fi? If so, let me know which ones stuck with you.</div>
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Alexandra Shostakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11517091878608894496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8542605893565907827.post-86353157629459735872019-08-09T22:10:00.000-04:002019-09-30T07:42:45.817-04:00What is the Anthropocene?The Anthropocene is a term for the current geological age, defining this age by the changes humans have wrought on the planet. Technically, the Anthropocene isn't an accepted term; it's one that many environmentalists favor as a more apt descriptor than Holocene, but with which some geologists disagree (since we can't pinpoint a geological spot for the start of the Anthropocene) [1].<br />
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Some environmentalists argue that we, in fact, are leaving our mark in the geologic strata. Authors Jason W. Moore and Raj Patel make the case for layers of buried chicken bones giving future generations a clue about our time here during the early 21st century [2]. Whether or not you agree that the chicken bones will actually provide geological information in future, Moore and Patel use the chicken industry as an example of the far-reaching consequences human activity and industry has on this planet, and also on <i>us.</i> (By the way, Moore and Patel have taken the concept of Anthropocene further, and specifically talk about damage to the environment due to capitalism (hence the term "Capitalocene" [2]) but that's a topic for another post, so for now I'll encourage you to read the source below!)<br />
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I like the word Anthropocene because it encompasses more than just climate change. Though climate change has become a catch-all phrase for humanity's impact on the planet, it underscores the issues that we will face due to a warming globe. But climate change is only one aspect to this human impact. Climate change doesn't directly address topics like microplastic pollution, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, water shortages, agricultural nutrient runoff, the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico, and all the rest. Saying "the environment" is another way people describe the current planetary issues, and another worthy choice. However, the word environment doesn't specifically mean the human effects on the environment, even if it may have that connotation depending on how you use it.<br />
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Anthropocene may not be an accurate geologic term, but it works to describe the human effect on the Earth. As I use this blog to discuss what I learn as a student of environmental science and call attention to helpful resources, I'll be using the term Anthropocene to describe the human effects on the planet.<br />
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[1] Stromberg, Joseph. What Is the Anthropocene and Are We in It? <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-is-the-anthropocene-and-are-we-in-it-164801414/">Smithsonian</a><br />
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[2] Moore, Jason W. and Raj Patel. Unearthing the Capitalocene: Towards a Reparations Ecology. <a href="https://roarmag.org/magazine/moore-patel-seven-cheap-things-capitalocene/">Roar Magazine</a>Alexandra Shostakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11517091878608894496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8542605893565907827.post-65573541599483881492017-03-03T14:16:00.002-05:002018-10-27T07:57:08.292-04:00Communication Problems Between Clients and Creatives? Head to Copypress to Learn MoreI'm over at the Copypress blog talking about what happens when clients and creatives can't communicate.<br />
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<a href="http://www.copypress.com/blog/communication-mishaps-clients-creatives/"><span style="font-size: large;">Check it out!</span></a>Alexandra Shostakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11517091878608894496noreply@blogger.com