When deliberating in my head over what to do for an action project, I realized something rather frustrating. We’ve spent a significant amount of time in class discussing paralysis, and emotional processing throughout this time as the massive Anthropocene issue hangs above our heads like a guillotine slowly being released. These discussion points are important, of course. Once you are aware of the effects we’ve had on the earth, it is likely to cause trauma. Processing such emotions is important. That is undeniable.
However, we haven’t reached a point yet where enough people in society realize the issue at hand. Paralysis isn’t the topic we should be discussing. It pains me to know how many people still do not actively believe in climate change, especially now, with everybody’s favorite president in charge. How can we be focusing on paralysis as the main issue when we haven’t even reached a collective belief of the simple existence of the Anthropocene?
It is not graphs, or scientific papers that strike us and spur action- it is photos like this. “Drowning World”, a photo series done by Gideon Mendel, shows the faces of some who lost their homes to climate change.
In my mind, the focus of an action project should be convincing the general public to recognize the severity of climate change. What better way to do so than bringing the reality to their own hometown? Our action project is an online photo campaign that emphasizes the effects of climate change in Seattle, both directly, and through secondary results like economic impact or population growth from climate refugees. I’ve seen photos that I’m drawing inspiration upon, and, as mentioned in my last blog post, I hope to bring an actual face (and additional sense of urgency) to the Anthropocene.
“Change in the climate and global warming Istanbul Taksim square, a struggle among the crowd in life.” – The caption to this photo, taken by Salih Ağır for a climate change photo contest in Turkey. The purpose of the contest was to “create willingness among the people to act.”
I’m honestly excited about the potential for a project such as this. The internet provides a nearly endless platform, or “stage” to express and explain our cause. The more people that share it, the more people that will see it, and the effect that it leaves will multiply with each additional share. There is a strong possibility that it could reach hundreds of people, and perhaps make them think a bit more about the immediate presence of the Anthropocene in their lives. Our intention here is to bring climate change out of the distant place we’ve shoved it into. The closer to home the issue is, the more we will be concerned about it. Seeing how ocean acidification affects our very own waters might spur more action than learning about it on far away shores, and the same applies to many other topics.