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Changing The Climate Change Narrative
"Between overfishing, coral bleaching, and much more the oceans could be completely empty by 2050. We need the oceans, not only for the beauty it brings but because it produces over half of the world's oxygen and absorbs 50 times more carbon dioxide than our atmosphere."
Ever since I was a kid, I've loved the outdoors. Both my elementary and high school had great outdoor ed programs that I always gravitated towards. One of my best memories was the solo trip I took my sophomore year of high school, where I spent two days alone in the wilderness with only a tarp, a bottle of water, and my thoughts.
There's something about being able to shut off my phone and all my worries and backpack out into the unknown. No matter how many cold nights, blisters, and achy bones, I always find myself going back.
When my capstone professor told us that our senior project could be anything we want, I immediately knew I wanted to focus my project on our environment's growing issues. Being from Sonoma, California, where we have faced three years of devastating wildfires, climate change is near and dear to my heart.
Climate change is a HUGE topic with various factors. I didn't even know where to start. Then, one night my boyfriend made me watch a documentary called Cowspiracy. It explores how environmental organizations refuse to discuss the leading cause of climate change: animal production. This is because Environmental organizations are supposed to reflect easy things you can do to decrease your carbon footprint. But, when you tell people, "If you want the earth to survive, you need to become vegetarian," you lose your followers. Eating meat has been engrained in our brains since the dawn of time. You start talking about becoming a vegetarian, and many people stop listening.
I was the same way. I've eaten meat my whole life and had numerous vegetarians talk to me about the climate's benefits if I became a vegetarian. Of course, I never listened because I didn't need a side of guilt with the burger I just ordered.
But when I started to do my research, it surprised me. It takes over 660 gallons of water to create a singular burger. What especially opened my eyes was the horror behind the seafood business. I've always felt deeply connected to the ocean since I grew up surfing, kayaking, and wading in the tide pools, so when I learned the truth about how corrupt the business is, it brought me to tears.
Between overfishing, coral bleaching, and much more, the oceans could be completely empty by 2050. We need the oceans, not only for the beauty it brings but because it produces over half of the world's oxygen and absorbs 50 times more carbon dioxide than our atmosphere. Fishing is a vast industry, especially in Asia. A place where the oceans used to be full of biodiversity is now rapidly disappearing. Much of this has to do with bycatch, where fishermen will catch non-targeted species inside their large nets. Although they could throw them back, many choose not to since those species eat fish, making them competitors to fishermen. Even if animals like sharks get thrown back into the ocean, fishermen will cut off their fins and use them for Shark tail soup. Without their fins, sharks end up sinking to the bottom of the sea and drowning.
The seafood and animal production industry is not getting enough exposure due to environmental organizations fearing losing followers. Of course, this doesn't seem right, and that's why my senior project focuses on giving this topic the attention it deserves. I hope to create a website that will change the narrative of how we perceive animal production in climate change. Although I am only one voice, I hope to bring some attention to such a horrific issue.