I’m a young creative currently in my third year at the University of Lincoln. I’ve recently been working on a project to combat the accelerating issue of climate change, specifically the problem of rising sea-levels.
My project was inspired by the recent coverage of the Extinction Rebellion’s protests in London as well as Greta Thunberg’s strikes from school which have become a catalyst for young people to speak out about the issue of climate change.
I chose sea-level rise in particular because I feel it’s an element of global warming that many people ignore yet it’s a huge problem which is rapidly changing the world we call home. Using a fantastic website called Surging Seas – which has been developed by a group of researchers specialising in the subject of climate change – I have been able to pinpoint places around the world which are most at risk to these threats.
As I see it; people are aware of the issue of global warming and are regularly told about its threat. However, many of us still see it as a distant seeming problem rather than something which needs addressing right now. By creating a calendar of the world for 2030 I aim to challenge this stigma. Many of our most beautiful and world-famous cities are at threat and may look hugely different by the end of the next few decades.
In creating this calendar, I hope to show people the things happening to our world rather than just telling them. Creating this connection and feeling around the issue I hope to spur people on to making changes in how they approach sustainability and protecting the planet themselves.
To get my work to raise awareness even more, I’m now hoping to get my calendar project more publicity. I would love to get a printing company involved to help me produce a larger quantity of the product so that I can sell them to raise money for climate change charities in the UK and abroad.
Of course, large corporations and governments are starting to invest money into helping with the issue but small changes and efforts from individuals can make huge improvements too. The primary cause of sea-level rise is the increasing temperature of our world, commonly referred to as global warming. By making positive changes to reduce global warming we can in turn help slow down the rise in sea-levels and reduce the threat of damaging floods and other problems posed by this danger.
There are multiple ways we can all help reduce these issues. Travelling to university, work or school by public transport or even better, by foot or cycling as opposed to driving makes a huge difference to pollution levels, a huge factor in planet Earth’s worsening condition. Turning electrical appliances off at the wall in our homes rather than leaving them on standby is a really simple thing we can all do to make a massive difference as well. Although these actions may seem minimal; when everyone makes these efforts they dramatically improve our effect on the world.
You can find out more about my project by visiting the website: https://theyear2030.squarespace.com
Jake Wiseman, 3rd Year College of Arts, University of Lincoln