Climate Change and Global Warming

Climate change: a universal issue that often feels too overwhelming to fully comprehend, quantify, or describe. People face this problem looming over planet Earth with fear or apathy depending on their opinion, but one commonality lies in the uncertainty felt by all. Only 37% out of the 420 West students who took the climate change survey feel they are well informed about climate change, showing a severe lack of knowledge surrounding the topic. The other 63% of students don’t feel able to explain this topic to others.

That sort of knowledge can be found in journal articles or in the classroom. Jim Feldman, director of the environmental studies program at UWO, has devoted his life to the science of the subject.

“The fundamental issue in climate change is something called the greenhouse effect,” he said. “Different gases trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere, some more than others. As the composition of the gases in the atmosphere has slowly changed over time, more and more heat gets trapped which leads to what’s called global warming.”

Despite the fact that the Earth has gone through natural periods of warming and cooling throughout its existence, it has been proven that human actions have contributed to the warming experienced now.

“The composition of the different gases in the atmosphere can change naturally,” Feldman said. “The indisputable scientific evidence that we see now, though, is that the burning of fossil fuels by humans, most especially carbon and methane, to create energy, has changed that atmospheric composition so that much more heat gets retained, which leads to global warming.”

The terms ‘climate change’ and ‘global warming’ are often used interchangeably, when they actually have different meanings.

“People think global warming is just the Earth heating up, but there’s a lot more that happens with climate change,” science teacher Rebecca Kocha said. “Climate change increases the amount of snow we have, which people might think is contradictory to climate change but climate change actually causes more precipitation in all forms. We experience more blizzards and a longer forest fire season. Those are all examples of climate change, whereas global warming just focuses on the heating aspect.”

UWO senior and member of the Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC), Erin Thompson, argues that a small number of institutions have led climate change to escalate to the levels seen today.

“A lot of it is large corporations and also the way our society is set up. It is making climate change possible,” she said. “Large amounts of consumption in the US and other industrialized places relative to the number of people does encourage climate change compared to other parts of the world that have a smaller footprint. Climate change is the biggest existential threat that we face right now.”

Feldman wants people to know that the blame for climate change should not be put on the individual.

“If we really want to fight climate change, what we really need is basic, systematic change in the way that a lot of our agricultural and industrial policies work,” he said. “It isn’t just the fault of the individual consumer. We all have to band together to say, ‘we need better laws and policies’ so the whole economy starts emitting less carbon.”

Survey results show that 65% of West students believe climate change is already affecting them, and UWO campus sustainability officer, Brad Spanbauer confirms that the snowballing effects of climate change is a cause for concern.

“The Western United States has essentially been in a drought for going on a decade, and it’s expected that it will only get worse,” he said. “California is where a huge amount of our food is grown; it’s the fruit basket of the United States. It’s a major industrial and agricultural complex for the country. That starts to look very different when you have a place that’s warming very rapidly and you’re trying to grow things there.”

Future effects of climate change also have great potential to create damage, going well beyond the concept of simply a longer summer.

“If we really continue on with the status quo, it’s predicted there will be a seven to 13 degree increase. That’s a significant amount of warming and will melt the vast majority of the polar ice caps which are crucial to maintaining stable temperatures and hold the jet stream in place,” Spanbauer said. “We are creating chaos in our atmosphere and destabilizing atmospheric conditions. The oceans have to continue to absorb excess carbon which warms the oceans. These things have a positive feedback loop, and it’s incredibly overwhelming and scary because with a lot of it, there are a lot of unknowns.”

A source of anxiety for Thompson lies in the anticipated effects climate change will have on people in compromised areas of the world.

“I think there will be massive weather and natural disaster events that will be devastating in many areas,” she said. “We’ll have a big issue with climate refugees as places that are heavily impacted by climate change move to less impacted places. I think that will be a big source of political strife and conflict. I think we’re looking at a very tumultuous future. I’m optimistic about our ability to adapt, but I’m also realistic about what the future may potentially look like.”

Survey results show that 60% of West students believe climate change is a crisis that needs to be addressed immediately, while 29% of students believe there are more pressing issues that need to be dealt with first. Feldman puts climate change at the top of his list when it comes to societal predicaments.

“Climate change is just the single biggest, more important, more dominant environmental issue that we face. Once upon a time it might have been one of many environmental concerns, but now it’s really the mother of all of them that looms over everything,” he said. “Reckoning with climate change, what it means, and what we need to do to address it has become the dominant motivating force in the world of environmental studies.”

As the world continues to warm and the impacts ripple out, humans aren’t the only living creatures dealing with the ramifications.

“We are the ones making Earth uninhabitable for us and other organisms. We are one species on a planet of many, many species. We are destroying their homes, their ways of life, and their access to water and food,” Spanbauer said. “There is this chain of life and as we start to remove the links, that fabric comes undone. Those links break and that decreases the strength of the whole for all of us to benefit from.”

Because so much damage has already been done, Feldman is skeptical that even drastic actions taken to curb carbon emissions will be enough to solve, or even reduce the problem quickly.

“The goal is clearly to get to climate neutrality, meaning we’re not putting any additional greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Whether we can get there or not, and how quickly we can get there is the question,” he said. “The sad truth is there’s already so much carbon in the atmosphere that even if we were, tomorrow, to become carbon neutral, there would still be ongoing consequences we would have to manage. We have to both figure out how to reduce the amount of carbon we put into the atmosphere and that’s called mitigation. We want to mitigate, or lessen, the amount of carbon we’re putting into the atmosphere.”

In an attempt to control this issue, President Joe Biden has come out with ambitious goals regarding climate change, including reaching net-zero emissions by no later than 2050. Thompson is optimistic about the Green New Deal resolution and the different aspects of climate change it targets.

“The Green New Deal is addressing climate change and the effects of climate change from all different angles,” she said. “We’re talking about transitioning people who work in fossil fuels to working in green energy so they have secure jobs, and good, affordable housing and healthcare. Plus, all of those things that come with addressing climate change like great public transportation, reducing emissions, and renewable energy. It’s an intersectional approach to climate change that isn’t just reducing emissions. It’s more addressing all of the injustices in our society rather than just one point source.”

The Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts, or WICCI, a collaboration of scientists, practitioners, and stakeholders from across Wisconsin, use their different strengths to tackle climate change together. The organization is a partnership between UW Madison’s Nelson institute for environmental studies and the Wisconsin Department for Natural Resources. WICCI coordinator, Shruti Sarode, has worked on projects that have influenced how climate change is addressed in the state.

“We published a report in 2011 called the Assessment Report. It shows how Wisconsin would be affected by climate change in the future,” she said. “Right now, we are working on an update of that report, 10 years later. The report from 10 years ago showed that Wisconsin will get wetter and warmer, and that’s what happened. The predictions were true. That gives me hope that at least we have the technology and science to know what to predict from climate change in Wisconsin. Those predictions actually have caused different government agencies to take action accordingly.”

A consequence of climate change is that the brunt of the effects is placed on people who don’t have resources to protect themselves.

“It’s the people who have caused the problem, in the rich, developed world like the US, who have modern healthcare and educational systems to adapt a little bit better to climate change,” Feldman said. “We got rich by burning fossil fuels. But people who are in poorer countries are stuck with far inferior infrastructure to help deal with the changes that come.”

Despite the trepidation surrounding climate change, Feldman has hope that mindsets are changing for the better, and yet, larger changes still need to be made.

“I do think it’s trending in the right direction. The question is, is it trending in the right direction quickly enough?” he said. “I think one of the things that it’ll take to make climate change a priority is when insurance companies start saying, ‘I’m not going to insure anyone who lives in Miami anymore because there are obviously going to be floods’. That kind of systematic, fundamental, industry shaking activity is what’s going to make things change.”

93% of West students believe they have not received adequate education when it comes to climate change. Considering scientific views regarding the worldwide, extremely damaging effects that climate change is inflicting on the planet, that percentage makes for some confusion. 

Sophomore Maggie Dobyns remembers only briefly covering the subject in school.

“It was never a direct topic, it would always be a side topic to something else we learned,” she said. “In middle school, we’d be in science class and they’d be talking about animals and then briefly bring up migrating polar bears because the ice caps are melting. But I don’t remember it ever being a full lesson that we learned.”

Some students believe climate change education should be mandatory. Senior Hope Kupczyk sees lack of education surrounding climate change as a huge issue because many people are oblivious to the global problem.

“I think there is a lot that students need to be aware of, but they’re not because schools aren’t teaching it,” she said. “They don’t even know they need to be educating themselves about this.”

For other students such as junior Sarah Pizon, spending a limited amount of time learning about climate change would be enough.

“I definitely think that it’s not everyone’s thing, so I don’t think it should be a required course even though it’s a very important subject,” she said. “We should offer a class to educate and offer suggestions on how to take action. As for having a unit to it, it’s not everyone’s forte. So maybe spending a day on it, like Earth day, I think that’d be a great idea.”

Educating young people is something English teacher Ta Xiong values because younger generations are going to inherit the Earth they were born with.

“It’s their future and they’ll eventually be the people in power who get to control the future for themselves and newer generations,” she said. “It’s important to help younger people feel a sense of empowerment, so they know they do have power and authority to make a difference in their lives and communities.”

Despite the fact that 60% of West students believe climate change is a crisis, only 21% of students make deliberate, regular efforts to reduce their carbon footprint. This shows there’s a disproportionate lack of action compared to the level of severity students associate with this problem. Xiong suggests this could be because students feel the issue is too big for them to handle.

“I think one factor is they don’t know where to begin and feel so overwhelmed, like ‘how am I, one person, supposed to contribute to a whole global issue that is largely created by companies and corporations?” she said. “I think if there were people who felt like they had a clear path, that would really help, but the ambiguity and lack of direction make it hard to do anything.”

Because it’s hard to identify or see this issue with the naked eye, sophomore Gabriella Heiling believes it’s hard for her peers to become passionate about climate change.

“I think most people don’t care about it because it doesn’t affect them. We don’t think about it in our day-to-day lives, living in the Midwest,” she said. “We don’t care about the arctic or how it’s affecting other parts of the world because we don’t see it. There are other things we have to worry about that are more present-time.”

The language and tactics used by officials with power could also be a factor contributing to the insufficient changes being made.

“People have a fear of the power structure that is in place to advance positive action against climate change. When the government says, ‘you should cut back on meat,’ it’s threatening and I don’t think that’s the way to go about climate change,” senior Quinn Thierman said. “Instead, people should talk about making positive changes by supplementing what you do already with things like a garden or composting.”

Climate change is the most pressing issue senior Robert Valero believes the world is facing today.

“No other issue will matter if everyone is dead and the world cannot sustain human life anymore. I don’t get how people don’t understand that,” he said. “Do they think money is just going to magically become edible or something? How are big corporations going to have profits if everyone is dead, starving, or using what little money they have left to barely get by? People think I’m so dramatic when I say that but I’m 100% serious.”

Junior Patrick Lee-Joubert takes a more moderate stance on the topic.

“People have been saying the world’s going to end in 20 years for the last 50 years. I think things could get very serious, but I don’t think it would be as bad as people think,” he said. “Changes would be more gradual, and they’d be things we could deal with rather than the world ending. I don’t think it would be such a big difference that we would really notice it. We’ll probably adapt to it faster than the world will change.”

Senior Taylor Block acknowledges that climate change is happening but believes that the causes transcend human interference.  

“Sure, over the last 100 years, the Earth’s atmosphere has continued to warm up. Carbon emissions are definitely a part of that, but you also have to take into account that the world has gone through numerous mini ice ages and global warmings throughout the past centuries,” he said. “We’re definitely contributing to part of global warming, but the world is going through natural cycles like we’ve seen in the past. A lot of people just focus on humans and what we’re doing to the environment.”

On the other hand, junior Tessa Whitcomb is very concerned about what little time the world has to reverse the repercussions of years of neglecting climate change.

“We don’t have much time. I looked up the climate clock, and it’s six and a half years until we run out of fuel. It’s crazy and I think a lot of people are trying to brush past it like past generations have, and say ‘oh, our generation will solve it’,” she said. “We’re not at a level where we’re powerful enough yet to make real, big changes. There’s a lot that needs to be done to get us to a point where we’ll be okay. It’s a huge problem and I don’t think a lot of people think so.”

Sophomore Marcus Miller predicts an extremely grim future for planet Earth if necessary changes aren’t made.

“If we do nothing right now, it could turn into a post-apocalyptic, Mad Max type of situation because everything will get completely torn apart,” he said. “And what can the government do against these massive natural disasters? Floods, wildfires, hurricanes- those will tear all the cities apart and there’s nothing we can do except try to do better.”

Lee-Joubert fears that if extreme changes were made in an attempt to curb climate change, consequences could be so severe that it would become wise to put time and effort towards other facets. 

“If we immediately stopped our carbon emissions, it would be so detrimental that it would probably end the world anyways. All these developed countries would have to stop a good chunk of their infrastructure or change it,” he said. “Because of that, instead of putting all of our resources into fighting the change, we should also pour resources into things like space travel and exploration. If this world is doomed, we should find another one. It would be a backup plan.”

Through first-hand experiences, Pizon has learned that teaching others about climate change is an effective way to initiate action.

“I think it’s important to talk about this issue with friends, family, and coworkers because by talking about it, other people think about it more, and then they’re making those changes,” she said. “I know with my family, they have tried to shift to meet by recommendations of being more eco-friendly.”

Online platforms facilitate the spread of information, which is why Miller is optimistic about the potential they have as part of the solution to the climate crisis.

“So many teens and young adults are on their phones constantly,” he said. “If we can make social media more educational, there’s definitely the possibility to get the message out there and to convince people to take action in their own lives.”

Climate change goes a lot further than rising temperatures and melting ice caps, and the effects trickle down more deeply into society than a lot of people realize.

“I think a lot of issues that our community is facing can be solved by fixing climate change,” Dobyns said. “Poverty is such a big thing and I think that ties into climate change because so many people are being subjected to smoke inhalations that they get from runoff from industries. It causes so many health problems that people see, like cancers.”

West principal Erin Kohl realizes that today’s students will be leaders in the future, which is why it’s crucial to have an informed student body. 

“The younger generations are the ones that are going to make a difference,” she said, “They’re going to have to go into the world and find ways to be creative about sustainable energy sources and how to try to slow, stop, and even reverse the impact of climate change. Education and awareness is a key piece of that. You're going to inherit the world, so it’s a really big topic.”

Survey results reveal that 18% of students never make an attempt to implement eco-friendly choices in their daily lives, but UWO senior and member of the Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC), Erin Thompson is adamant that small, personal changes do make a difference.

“Individual choices like when to ride a car or bike, to eat plants or meat, to use reusables or disposables, it all has an impact,” she said. “If someone is interested in what to do about climate change but they’re not part of the decision-making, it definitely does stem from personal choice where you can feel like you’re making an impact in your small community and feel empowered.”

To feel motivated and supported, Thompson suggests searching for people who are also passionate about making green changes.

“It’s all about getting involved and finding opportunities to help causes related to sustainability,” she said. “It’s two-fold; it’s in your own personal choices and also getting active in the greater community, joining environmental groups, and learning about sustainability.”

To learn about what actions have the greatest positive impact, education is imperative.

“I think education is a big piece, and for our student body, knowing what they can do to contribute and help the situation,” Principal Erin Kohl said. “I think a lot of times students don’t feel like they have the power to make big changes but that’s really not the reality. If each individual did a little bit to help and you multiply that by how many individuals there are on this globe, I think it would make a huge difference.”

As a basic rule of thumb, science teacher John Reiland focuses on reducing his consumption and waste whenever possible.

“I bring my own lunch every day in a lunch bag and I try to not use any plastic. I’m also a big fan of reusable water bottles because we can say we’re recycling plastic, but not all of the plastic is getting recycled. In fact, a lot of it isn’t,” he said. “If you go out to lunch, don’t grab a to-go bag and try to reduce the amount of garbage you create. Powering down your Chromebook each night uses less electricity. All these little things make a big difference.”

With the help of her family, sophomore Maggie Dobyns makes sustainable choices regarding the food she eats.

“We compost a lot and we have a potato box up north at my cabin so we grow our own potatoes,” she said. “We use the compost to grow our own food, such as Irish fire potatoes instead of having to buy from larger companies who produce those things. Those companies also put chemicals on the plants to keep bugs away which harms the environment even more.”

Senior Robert Valero makes an effort to reduce the amount of plastic waste he consumes.

“I usually try to use reusable masks, and I avoid taking home any plasticware,” he said. “If I go to a fast-food restaurant, I ask them to not give me any plastic utensils. We also use a lot of Tupperware at my house instead of plastic bags.”

Junior Tessa Whitcomb incorporates a variety of eco-friendly swaps into her daily routine, and even though some items can be pricey, they are worth it for her in the long run.

“I use a shampoo bar and conditioner bar so there’s no plastic involved with that, and I have bamboo toothbrushes that are compostable. I always do my research on recycling for certain things to make sure that it’s okay in our community,” she said. “I think something that’s holding up a lot of people is that a lot of eco-friendly stuff seems to be more expensive. But there are some things that are more of an investment right away, but they last you so much longer because they’re reusable and it ends up saving you money over time.”

In the past few years, West has made changes that push the school in the right direction in terms of having a smaller carbon footprint.

“All of our windows were replaced a couple of years ago and they’re meant to be much more energy-efficient. Our univents and HVAC system, which is the heat and air exchange system, was also replaced several years ago,” Kohl said. “Light bulbs have been replaced for energy efficiency. We’ve also done things in bathrooms with motion sensored lights that only come on when people are in the bathroom, which saves energy.”

UWO has a very active student body that cares a lot about sustainability, and they continue to urge the campus towards more eco-friendly practices. 

“There are several student organizations and one of the oldest ones is called SEAC. They do a lot of various projects,” UWO campus sustainability officer, Brad Spanbauer said. “They offer a free school in spring where people can come and learn different skills for free. People will teach about canning, composting, and how to green your dorm room or home.”

The university is also making big strides towards reducing the amount of carbon emissions they produce.

“Recently, we had our end of coal event so we burned the last load of coal. We’ve switched to natural gas which is still a fossil fuel, but it doesn’t have as significant emissions as coal does,” Thompson said. “We also have made a commitment to carbon neutrality by 2030. This means either offsetting all our carbon or burning no carbon.”

Director of the environmental studies program at UWO, Jim Feldman knows that solving this crisis will be no easy feat, but he will continue fighting for what he believes in no matter what.

“I’m quite skeptical about our ability as a society to come together and affect the kind of change that’s necessary in time to head off the worst of it,” he said. “But on the other hand, just sitting back and watching the world burn in a fiery climate change catastrophe isn’t really an option for me or people who care about this. I know people will continue to work and adapt to improve the situation and make things better.”

Reiland has faith in the ability of people to grow and learn.

“I look around, and I see people starting to understand the process of climate change,” he said. “I’m not a person that says let’s preach to everybody- let’s show them. Show them the data, and show people that we need to do more than recycling, because I think people can change. You got to look for hope- we’re going to make it.”

Even though it can be all too easy to fall into the trap of negativity, Kohl looks at the climate change situation with optimism and has faith that the enthusiasm young people have to make positive impacts will get the world out of this predicament.

“Every day, I see young people really wanting to be difference makers and change this world,” she said. “I have a lot of hope for the future and I think kids now, more than ever, have really found their voices and have become more active. Whether it’s the environment that they’re passionate about or something else, when I see that passion and eagerness to make a difference in the world, I have a ton of hope for the future.”

By Abby Furcy

Oshkosh West Index Volume 118 Issue I

October 6th, 2021