Eve Gilles began his presentation by showing the audience the first picture to ever be captured of the Earth from the Apollo 8 mission. He referred to the Earth as a “blue marble,” which to me is a very simplistic way of describing our planet; however, he used this description to show that the Earth’s first photograph shows no political boundaries, as it is one home, one Earth that we share. Gilles then went on to describe how humans are increasing the amount of carbon dioxide on Earth as a result of burning fossil fuels. He stated some statistics about increasing temperatures one Earth, such as 115 ̊ in Paris this summer, 123 ̊ in India, 121 ̊ in Australia, and so on. He even showed us a shocking and devastating image of a heavy truck melting into the pavement to display the severity of this issue.
Gilles described how the increase in temperatures on Earth causes air currents to change shape, which severely impacts the north pole. Additionally, 93% of the extra heat humans are producing is trapped by the ocean, and it has gotten to a point where the ocean will not be able to absorb any more. Tides are becoming higher, and Gilles proved so by telling us a story of when an octopus was found in a parking garage in Miami due to flooding. High tides also cause hurricanes to become stronger.
All of the mentioned issues end up impacting humans severely, as they can even be a huge health threat. However, Gilles ended the presentation on a more positive note; while we have caused great damage to our Earth, there is still hope for change. We know for a fact that climate change is extremely destructive, but we also know ways to improve. He mentioned the importance of wind power and reusable energy, as well as electric cars. Most humans are aware of the threat Earth is under, but we must act in order to create a lasting impact. Gilles emphasized the fact that a lot of the leadership we see with this issue is on the municipal level since any human can get involved and contribute to helping our Earth.
Be First to Comment