In class we have been reading fictional stories about the future of global warming. I personally have never read a graphic novel. When I read a graphic novel I think it is harder to understand because I have to read the texts and look at the pictures. When I read the text the images that come into my head is not what the photo illustrates. The book I.D.P takes place in 2043 and is told by six different authors. A different author tells each chapter and they put their own flavor into the story. In the reading so far there is a separation between the rich and the poor. The key themes through the story are about survival, government, wealth, and more. There is a tower and all the rich live in the tower and there are farmers located at the top. Food is scarce and everyone is trying to survive in a rough time. It shows how technology has been advanced and to get into buildings you scan your hand. I feel like as the years go by new inventions are going to appearing.
In the article called, “How To Feed the World After Climate Change” by Matt Hertsgarrd was very educational. It really made me think about my future and when I have kids. It talked about how in the future making a birthday cake will be hard because wheat and flour will not be available. These raw materials will become harder to grow because of climate change and because less rainfall. When I read this I though about my birthday and how weird it would be if I didn’t get to blow out the candles. It talks about how in Iowa they will experience extreme heat in 2040 and will go without flour for three summers. Flour is in a lot of foods we eat today and that’s a resource we need. This is only one state and how it will be affected, what is going to happen to other places?
In most of the readings we talk about in class it says a solution to climate change is reducing fossil fuel. Fossil fuel is everywhere and everything is made with fossil fuel. It is located in our house, cars, stores, and other places.
Growing up the only thing I ever learned from global warming was about the polar bears. When looking at this photo I feel like it makes me sad and I want to do something. The ice is melting and there is nothing that is going to change that because the temperature is increasing. I feel like this picture can make a lot of people think about climate change. Polar bears are going to start becoming extinct and then maybe one-day people will all go extinct. In class we talked about why do people not care? I think people are in denial about global warming and it will never happen. No one is going to care about global warming until it hits them personally or their community.
Your comment, “in the future making a birthday cake will be hard because wheat and flour will not be available” struck me. Life would be a terrible place without cake! It’s important for us to realize that not only we will be losing our natural resources in global warming, such as oil and water, but also the amenities that make us happy, like flour for our birthday cakes!
I feel the same way about the graphic novel as you do. I think they are a good idea for maybe younger kids because it will keep them interested in the story, but for older people it takes extra time because you’re trying to understand what the story is about while also visualizing it too from the pictures provided. However, in a novel there are no illustrations, so you have to visualize it in your head, which I think makes it better because some authors are very descriptive when trying to explain the scene of a story.
Not having a birthday cake also struck me! Being the pickiest eater ever right now, I can’t think how I would survive with very limited food options, let alone the whole world. Especially with flour and wheat, I know there are ways you can go without them (my brother is gluten, wheat, dairy-free), but it’s expensive already. To think if that was our only option with an economy like this, people just wouldn’t be able to afford food period!
I agree with your thoughts on the graphic novel. I understand the idea of having a more entertaining way to vocalize the truth of climate change, however during reading I often lose sight of the big picture and spend more focus on what exactly is happening in the world of IDP: 2043. I believe that graphic novels are more for kids that cannot keep focus on topics that are often looked at as “dry”, like climate change. If the youth need to be better informed about the future, it should not be done with a novel as far fetched as this one.
I had the same thoughts when I was reading IDP: 2043 and also the article by Hertsgarrd. I’d hate to think that my adulthood and my children’s childhoods would be much different than mine and that even the smallest things–like making a cake together–would be impossible. The graphic novel I think gives an interesting look into what the world could look like just based off of how much technology is evolving. Obviously just an artist’s perspective, but still interesting!