My first thoughts on Global Warming in this class were climate change and how the world will cope. I didn’t quite understand how fiction could be created through this; however, through the texts that we have already begun to learn about I have noticed how broad the spectrum is and how texts can definitely help inform, prepare and warn society for what may come.
A proverb that I think personally a lot of people use in regards to Global Warming and what I was reminded of when first entering this class is “Ignorance is bliss”. I myself find it hard to be confronted with sites such as Global Weirding simply because I feel the issue is so colossal that it feels too large to handle. While I understand that there are motions in action to try and prevent Global Warming from happening I find it hard to personally feel as though I can make much of a difference. For a lot of people I honestly believe they would feel the same way and just pretend things aren’t happening because they feel so disconnected from the issue. I believe that writers have an obligation to educate the public on certain issues, in this case Global Warming. This is why I’m not quite sure if I overly enjoyed the short story A Diary of an Interesting Year by Helen Simpson. The idea itself I enjoyed however I personally did not agree with some of the craft elements Simpson uses throughout. The concept of a diary is interesting and I think it works in a lot of stories such as The Perks of Being A Wallflower By Stephan Chbosky and The Basketball Diaries by Jim Carroll however in this short story I really didn’t feel connected to the main character. I don’t know if this is because it’s a much shorter story or it was simply the style that it was written but I just couldn’t connect with her as much as I did with other characters from other stories in I’m With The Bears.
While fiction is always good to get an idea across I looked forward to researching about Western Australia and how climate change will effect me personally. The facts I got back were very frightening especially in comparison to the Global Weirding site and it really opened my eyes to how serious this problem is.
Eighty five percent of the Western Australian population lives along the coast and the worrying thing about this is that since the 1990’s, sea levels have already risen 7.4 millimeters and will continue to rise destroying a lot of peoples homes.
While the rising sea levels is alarming, predictions are being made that up to one fifth of the Western Australian year could reach at least 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) by 2070.
Both non fiction and fiction have the ability to inform and teach society and it really just depends on the approach you would like to take. If you are just looking to give facts then websites like Global Weirding are great however if it’s an idea you are trying to convey then I believe fiction stories are a great way to highlight your thoughts.
I agree in what you have said about how many people take the view of ‘ignorance is bliss’ when it comes to global warming. So many people are overwhelmed with what global warming can do to the environment that they do not know what to do and so they ignore the issue. Global warming can be a scary topic, and many people do not what to face it. I think this could be especially the case in Australia, because as you said 85% of the people live on the coast, where their homes may be flooded and the people will be displaced.
I also thought about how I couldn’t make much of a difference because I am only one person. I feel that a lot of people have this mindset so that is why not much is being done to help prevent Global Warming. In A Diary of an Interesting Year, I also felt that it was just a story; for me, there wasn’t a connection because it didn’t relate to any situations we have currently.
I think a majority of people feel what you describe in this article. I think individuals find the problem simply too unimaginable, and that they feel whatever they do won’t change the situation as a whole. Unfortunately, I think its this mentality that keeps action from being taken against climate change, which spells disaster for the significant population of people living on coasts in many different nations around the globe. My hope is that eventually people will realize the severity of the effects of climate change, and that action can be taken sooner rather than later, when there may not be enough time left to change anything.
I hear what everyone is saying about the issues enormity, as it was one of the sentiments I held coming into this class. With over 7 billion people on the planet and with the population still increasing at an exponential rate, it is easy to feel that any impact we try to make will be insignificant. As Bill McKibben put it in his introduction “The scientists have done their job- they’ve issued every possible warning, flashed every red light.” (I’m with the Bears, 3) It is now our job to attempt to do something about this issue and make every impact, both big and small, that we can. It is very intriguing to see that I am not the only one who shares this thought.
I definitely had the same “ignorance is bliss” outlook on climate change before this class. I agree with you that most people do not know what climate change really is or that it is already happening. I think people would be a lot more proactive about global warming if they knew how much it was already changing out world.