For my final project, I decided to create a children’s book about climate change. The book is ultimately a story about a 10-year-old boy named Jake who hears the term “climate change” and doesn’t know what it means. Curious about this issue, Jake decides to go on an adventure to find out about exactly what it is. Jake’s first stop is in Antarctica where he meets a polar bear who is sad because his play ground (the glaciers) is melting. The polar bear explains to Jake about why the glaciers are melting, and then teaches him about the difference between weather and climate change.

Jake’s next stop is in the rain forest where he meets a bird who is sad because his favorite tree is gone. The bird explains to Jake about the natural wildfires and how people chop down the trees to make paper and other resources. The bird then explains to Jake how climate change effects both animals and people, and how climate change is happening all over the world.

Jake’s last stop is at the coral reef, where he meets a sea turtle who talks to him about pollution in our oceans and how climate change is effecting the natural sea levels and acidity in the ocean. The sea turtle then explains to Jake that we can’t prevent climate change from happening, but what we can do is talk to our friends and family about it and do what we can to protect our environment.

Jake then returns home to his parents for help in spreading the word about what climate change is, and how they can make a positive change. Jake takes all of the lessons he learned from his friends and makes an impact.

The last couple pages of the story are in the future and Jake is 80 years old, and the environment is in better condition because of the collective efforts of everyone.

I decided to create a children’s book because we talked about how important it is to start educating kids in school about the issue of climate change. This book will answer the fundamental questions I can imagine many kids would have, and it is still fun and exciting at the same time. I also decided to have Jake befriend animals on his adventure instead of people because we never really addressed how climate change effects animals in our class.

My final project involves a short story involving cli-fi events that I titled “A New Dawn”. The story is told from a first person point of view, and involves the central character, named John, dealing with a decision that could very well lead to his execution. In debating over the decision, he contemplates the events that lead him to his current plight, as well as how they defined him, and what he should do for the future. Born in Eugene, OR in 1995, John describes the events that transpired around him as he aged, with him first noticing climate changes effects while he attended college at the University of Oregon. As the effects of climate change being to accelerate, he witnesses the country go through vast changes due to intense hurricanes ravaging the east coast, well as extreme drought plaguing the Southwest. The U.S. government eventually closes the border with Mexico due to the influx of refugees, and martial law is declared as protests are rampant, and the water crisis continues to accelerate.

Conflicts between nations become more amplified as shortages of food and water cause nations to become more aggressive. The U.S. government, in an effort to deflect public attention away from itself and give the people something to focus their frustration at, begins a propaganda campaign in order to go to war, with the help of corporations and defense contractors. The Third World War begins, and military scientists secretly initiate a program known as Project Helios, which involves genetically modifying soldiers with plant DNA in order to have energy come from Photosynthesis, instead of food, which is currently in extreme shortage. John is selected as a candidate for the initiative, and with the change, loses part of his humanity in the process. The serum also gives enhanced strength, speed, and extremely hardened skin, to plant exteriors. The project is successful, and the new soldiers are enormously effective in waging war, however, numerous war crimes and atrocities are committed during the conflict, with John taking part in a great deal of them. Contine reading →