I decided to write a short narrative revolving around a married couple named Brenton and Chanel who have recently moved to Portland, Oregon from California. They decided to move due to a couple of extreme climate change disasters. The narrative details their journey to Portland and once they have finally moved, they have to cope with new living situations that are extremely inconvenient and nothing like they had originally expected. Portland is also going through some serious effects of climate change which Brenton and Chanel were not aware of so this new move is more of a struggle than anticipated. This is the hardest struggle they have had to endure as a couple and after everything that has taken place during the past few weeks, they are left to wonder if they can still survive in such an unpredictable world.

I decided to create this narrative because I felt like the main events in my short story directly correlate with issues regarding climate change. I feel like Brenton and Chanel’s story sum up the way climate change fiction is portrayed. With this narrative I am trying to evoke similar emotions that I feel when I read intense and extreme climate change stories. I hope to raise more awareness of the possible repercussions of climate change and that climate change is indeed a serious issue that is happening as people read my narrative. I ultimately wish to create a desire to make a change or atleast contribute to current climate change preventative action groups and organizations. I really hope that people can read my narrative and come together and have their voices reach other folks in the community.

“The atmosphere was not welcoming, nor did it seem safe, but they had no other option. Where else would they go, especially considering that they had no family or friends on this side of the toxic infested country. They had no way of contacting their families either, who knew if they were still alive. The thought of their loved ones being engulfed by the ongoing daily catastrophes made Brenton’s heart drop to his stomach. But he could not let these dreadful thoughts distract him, he had to find safe ground for Chanel and him. He needed to make sure she was taken care of, if he could take care of her. There was barely any place to stay here. Overpopulation seemed to have taken it’s toll on this city and resources were scarce. How in the world would they survive? He heard an uproar of voices nearby and his attention immediately turned to the commotion…”

This past weekend I went to the movies with my aunt, uncle, and two younger cousins. We usually get together once a month to catch up and see how everything has been going. They asked me the general questions about how everything was going, how school was, and if anything interesting had taken place and while we are walking into the movies we all notice how sunny it is. My uncle proceeds to say, “Wow, the weather is really nice today and has been really nice all week. Hopefully it stays this way for a while.” We all agree with him, but then suddenly, I remember WHY the weather is so nice right now. WHY the sun could possibly be out at the end of February (which in previous years has not been so “nice”).

The answer, of course, is climate change. I, then decided to share what I have learned from class and their reactions were not very surprising. None of them had heard of climate change prior to my little spiel. I elaborated and told them that climate change is taking place at a more rapid rate due to emissions of greenhouse gases which essentially are produced from burning fossil fuels and all of this is mainly a result of humans and how we overuse and abuse our current resources. I further explained that there are other factors that add to the overall issue of climate change. While I was speaking, I could tell from their wandering eyes, and drifting off to another planet look that I still had not made an impact on them and that they did not take what I was saying seriously so I proceeded to discuss some of the repercussions.

As I said the words “major hurricanes”, “frequent droughts”, “earthquakes”, and “unpredictable weather patterns”, I could tell that I finally sparked a few nerves of interest. I added to this by telling them that these natural disasters may not seem like a big deal right now, but they in fact, can and most likely will turn out to be a very serious issue due to their unpredictability and severity as time goes on. My aunt and uncle were very impressed with what I conveyed to them and went on to say that they could tell I felt very strongly about this issue. I went on to share some of the course readings we did during the duration of the term such as, I’m With The Bears, Odds Against Tomorrow, IDP, and a few other short stories that I thought they might want to check out. By the end of my mini lecture on climate change, not only was my family aware of this issue, but my aunt was even willing to volunteer to help make a change. I added that doing small things like: recycling, conserving energy by unplugging idle power cords, riding a bike or walking instead of driving, can make a big difference. Contine reading →

Before taking this class I had very minimal knowledge and awareness on the subject of climate change/global warming. After doing a couple of the assigned readings and hearing discussions in class I have come to the realization, like many of my other classmates, that climate change is real, it’s happening now as I sit and write this post, and it’s effects are tragic resulting in immeasurable calamities. Water and food shortages, lack of social services, diseases, floods, and droughts are just a few calamities that come to mind. Before, when I would hear or read discourse on global warming and climate change I would blow it off my shoulder, thinking that other people in higher positions of power have it under control.

After reading more extensively and learning about the topic during the past couple of weeks, that doesn’t seem to be the case. I have gained a newfound passion towards preventing climate change and it’s extremely harmful and life threatening effects. In the short story Diary of an Interesting Year, the author Helen Simpson writes a fictional narrative that illustrates the destruction of planet Earth due to climate change.

The narrator conveys her story in first person using the format of a diary. Using a diary to share her story and phrasing her thoughts in sentences that are considered normal dialogue makes it more of a personal and intimate experience with the audience which I personally find to be more interesting as a reader. I find this style of writing to be relatable and helpful in trying to bring your perspectives and points to light. I also believe that conveying a story in this particular format is informative, especially a story with such a serious issue as its main backdrop. Throughout the story there are many parts which describe the drastic effects of climate change on human life such as; untreatable diseases due to lack of social services (102), unhealthy and polluted air (102), rationing food as a result of a permanent shortage (103), lack of water (103), and deaths (107). Contine reading →