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Dickinson to Durban » Entries tagged with "climate change"

“Global Weirding,” Or: One Last Thought on COP17

Claire Tighe ‘13 It’s a lovely day in January. The sun is shining; the day is warm. People are out jogging, walking their dogs, and even golfing. The scary part? I’m not describing Durban, South Africa. I’m describing Chicago, Illinois, USA. Yes, in Chicago, Illinois in January 2012, there are people rounding the eighteenth hole like it’s an early July morning. There’s no snow on the ground; the temperature is nearing fifty degrees farenheit. It’s been a few weeks since my return from the COP17 conference in Durban. Here’s a sum of my thoughts since December. Basically, it’s too late to wait for international governmental regimes to make change for us. At this point, even if all of the countries in the world completely cut all of their carbon emissions, Earth would still … Read entire article »

Filed under: Climate Change, Conservation, Consumption, Environmental Justice, Environmental Politics, Featured, Key COP17 Issues, Mosaic Action, Student Research

“The Last Destination…” -Pico Iyer

“The Last Destination…” -Pico Iyer

By: Anna McGinn ‘14 “The last destination isn’t the final place on the itinerary, but what happens when you get home and try to make sense of it” -Pico Iyer Over the past few weeks, numerous people have asked me to share with them the highlights of my time in South Africa- What will I most remember about the trip? What were some of the most interesting things I learned? Usually, I respond by explaining that although … Read entire article »

Filed under: Climate Change, Environmental Justice, Environmental Politics, Mosaic Action

The privilege to act for climate.

The privilege to act for climate.

By Emily Bowie ’14 The last Wednesday we were in South Africa the thirteen of us were asked by Makaphutu to perform holiday deliveries to local communities of excess food and clothing that the orphanage had to spare. As we stood behind the vans holding boxes of shoes and handing individuals bread and samp each one of us experienced different, yet similar, moments of shock, reality, empathy and humility. We realized how much we have compared … Read entire article »

Filed under: Climate Change, Environmental Justice, Mosaic Action

The Problem COP17 Isn’t Talking About

By Timothy Damon ’12 Many issues are covered during each COP, including a staggering 70 plus agenda items this time around. Some issues get much more treatment than others, but there is one that is getting no time at all. What could this mysterious topic be, you ask? Ocean Acidification (OA), the “other half of the carbon problem”. I just attended a side event by almost the same name here in the Durban expo center. Its panel provided a refreshing splash of science in what has otherwise been a conference nearly devoid of such a perspective. Unfortunately, the news, though necessary, is alarming. Earlier this semester, I wrote one of my research papers for the Mosaic on OA and its implications for human health and economy. The experts from tonight followed the same … Read entire article »

Filed under: Climate Change, Key COP17 Issues