Articles Comments

Dickinson to Durban » Archive

It is Time to take Responsibility and ACT!

Every nation state, and every person, holds some degree of responsibility for anthropogenic climate change.  In the world today, one cannot live without leaving an impact.  However, the answer is not as simple as that because responsibility is not distributed equally.  It is crucial to recognize the vastly different emissions of states.  In that light, those states who have contributed most to the problem ought to be charged with the task of leading the nation states towards more sustainable economies and ways of life.  This requires the cooperation of states who hold the most power in the international system, who currently feel little direct effects of climate change, and who are stubbornly stuck in their gas guzzling ways.  Thus, persuading these states to take responsibility for their contribution to climate … Read entire article »

Filed under: Climate Change

Mosaic Students Attend Shale Gas Outrage

On Wednesday September 7, seven mosaic students traveled to Philadelphia for a day to participate in the Shale Gas Outrage protest held near the convention center. We attended a rally during which a variety of speakers and performers shared their views and stories about Marcellus shale. The rally culminated in a march in downtown Philly which ended in front of Governor Corbett’s office. The march attracted the attention of many passersby, and hopefully sent a message to the industry officials who were in meetings in the convention center that hydrofracking is an unacceptable practice.  The energy and passion at the protest were inspiring and motivating.  Below is a collection of photos from the day.  … Read entire article »

Filed under: Mosaic Action

Climate Change, Politicized. Nations, Polarized.

In the world today, it is impossible for issues of climate change’s magnitude to be isolated from politics.  The government is the body within the United States and most other countries which has the power to impose regulations on the people within its jurisdiction.  Thus it is the government which needs to create and uphold standards of environmental protection in order for people to actually change their ways of life.  Ironically, now more than ever in recent history, the United States government is polarized on almost all large issues, especially climate change.  This division results in discussions which end with the decision that “more research is needed” rather than a call to collective action to prevent the predicted disastrous effects of climate change from occurring. In addition to the fact that … Read entire article »

Filed under: Climate Change

Do the Little Actions Matter?

I have always operated under the belief that the actions of individual people can amount to global change. After all, society is the product of every individual’s way of life. Thus, society will only be altered when enough people believe change is necessary and act on those beliefs. Our society has caused the phenomenon of anthropogenic climate change to occur, so as Greenpeace argues, we should be able to slow climate change through our actions on a personal level. In Greenpeace’s article, How to Save the Climate, they list changes individuals ought to make to their everyday lives in order to live more sustainably. When each person reduces their annual carbon dioxide emissions to 1.3 tons, climate change will not continue to amplify (Greenpeace, 6). After reading this article, I … Read entire article »

Filed under: Climate Change