Boiling Point Zine

Boiling Point

My Zine will showcase the general effects of Climate Change that have been negatively affecting our planet, explaining the causes of Climate Change along with how it has contributed to floods and fires through the planet.

What is Climate Change? And what has caused it?

Climate Change is when the Earth’s atmosphere experiences a shift in temperatures and weather patterns, such as an increase in heat or sudden rainstorms. This is caused by greenhouse gases which are caused by various emissions, such as the use of fossil fuels, and the destruction of forests. This causes the gases to form a blanket around the Earth’s Atmosphere, trapping the sun’s heat and causing the temperature to rise.

How much has plastic pollution increased since 1960?

Plastic waste has increased drastically in the US since 1960, with them now generating around 42m metric tons of plastic waste a year, amounting to about 130kg of waste per person. To make matters worse, 2.2m tons of plastic is littered, causing it to end up inside of rivers and streams leading to the Earth’s Ocean.

United Nations (n.d.). What Is Climate Change? Retrieved June 15, 2023, from https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/what-is-climate-change Milman, O. (2021, December 1). ‘Deluge of plastic waste’: US is world’s biggest plastic polluter. Retrieved June 15, 2023, from https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/dec/01/deluge-of-plastic-waste-us-is-worldsbiggest-plastic-polluter Tiseo, I. (2023, June 2). Historical carbon dioxide emissions from global fossil fuel combustion and industrial 2 15, 2023, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/ processes from 1750 to 2021. Statista. Retrieved June

How much have carbon emissions increased in the past 20 years?

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions began to rise sharply from the 1950s, and by 2000 had reached to 25.45 billion metric tons of CO2 Emissions. However, they have increased by 31% between 2000-2010, and in 2021 have totalled into 37.12 billion metric tons.

What is the forecasted increase in global temperatures?

The average global temperature in 2022 was about 1.15C above the 1850-1900 average. The annual mean global near-surface temperature for each year between 2023-2027 is predicted to be between 1.1C-1.8C higher than the 1850-1900 average.

Can Climate Change be stopped?

While we cannot stop Climate Change overnight, we can slow down the rate and limit the amount of greenhouse gases towards the Earth’s Atmosphere, which could be done by reducing the number of human emissions sent towards it.

World Meteorological Organization (2023, May 17). Global temperatures set to reach new records in next five years. Retrieved June 15, 2023, from https://public.wmo.int/en/media/press-release/global-temperatures-setreach-new-records-next-five-years Herring, D., & Lindsey, R. (2022, October 12). Can we slow or even reverse global warming? Climate.gov. Retrieved June 15, 2023, from https://www.climate.gov/news-features/climate-qa/can-we-slow-or-even-reverseglobal-warming

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Did you know that the US Military is one of the biggest contributors to emissions?

If it were its own national state, it would be the 47th largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world, thanks to their contributions to wars as well as their humanitarian efforts of transferring supplies to those displaced in said wars.

In 2019, a report released by the Durham and Lancaster University found the US Military to be “one of the biggest climate polluters in history, consuming more liquid fuels and emitting more Carbon Dioxide than most countries”, mainly due to their infrastructure and global network of trucks, planes and ships for their operations.

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But the US Military is not the only one contributing to Climate Change, as Energy, Transport, and Manufacturing are also some of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gases, with Energy generating 15.83 billion, Transport at 8.43 billion, and Manufacturing at 6.3 tons in terms of emissions, totalling up towards 30.56 billion tons of emissions yearly.

Despite our advancements and usage of renewable energy, fossil fuels are still the most dominant source of energy and fuel, with energy being pendent on coal, oil, and gas. Meanwhile, despite electric vehicles becoming more mainstream, petrol-based vehicles are still commonly used, contributing them to the emissions caused by transport. Most shocking of all, Manufacturing is responsible for 50 percent of all-natural resource extraction worldwide, along with contributing to a quarter of the waste generated globally.

Lewis, J. (2021, November 12). US Military Pollution: The World’s Biggest Climate Change Enabler. Earth. org. Retrieved June 16, 2023, from https://earth.org/ us-military-pollution/# Howell, B. (2022, October 17). The 7 Biggest Polluters

by Industry in 2022, as Ranked in New Research.

5Environmental Protection. Retrieved June 16, 2023, from https://eponline.com/articles/2022/10/14/ the-7-biggest-polluters.aspx

Where is the dam?

The Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant is in the city of Nova Kakhovka inside of the Kherson region, which is currently under Russian occupation.

Has the dam

been attack ed?

It has not been clear what caused the breach inside of the dam, but Ukraine’s Military has accused Russia of deliberately blowing it up. Moscow may have feared that Ukraine forces would have used the road over the dam to get troops across the river into Russian-held territory as part of a counterattack.

BBC (2023, June 8). Ukraine dam: What we know about Nova Kakhovka incident. BBC News.

Retrieved June 16, 2023, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65818705

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During the Ukraine war, a huge dam in the Russian-controlled area of southern Ukraine had been destroyed, unleashing a massive flood, causing thousands of people having to be evacuated from their homes on top of those who have been displaced during the war.

What happened to the dam?

Video footage shows a massive breach inside the dam, with water surging through it and flooding downstream in the direction of Kherson, flooding dozens of towns and villages in the process.

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It held back a vast reservoir that supplied water to communities upstream and provided cooling water to the nuclear power station at Zaporizhzhia. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said there was no immediate nuclear safety risk but is currently monitoring the situation.

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In February 2023 New Zealand was in a national state of emergency, as Cyclone Gabrielle battered the country, with floods trapping people on roofs, thousands displaced and landslides destroying homes in what officials described as an “unprecedented” natural disaster.

Flood waters rose to envelop homes and buildings in some areas, in Hawk’s Bay people sheltered on roofs, with military helicopters unable to reach them in the weather. Landslides around North Island swept away homes and cut off state highways.

Adrianne Mason, of Esk Valley in Hawk’s Bay said her 22-year-old daughter had to climb out of her bedroom window in the middle of the night and swim to safety as flood waters rose, and the neighbours were trapped on their roof by the rising water. They have escaped to safety at a home on higher ground, but still cannot be reached by rescuers because the water has washed out the roads.

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The flooding was “catastrophic” Mason said, as their newly built home had been immersed and other properties surrounding the river “have lost their houses completely” she said.

On the East Cape, a farmer in Tolaga Bay described enormous destruction as floods carried “300kg logs, huge logs, one after another, rolling off the forestry above us”. The water came “pouring out over people’s homes and farms”, Bridget Parker told Radio New Zealand.

“We prepared for the worst. Nothing prepares you for this carnage. Is anyone coming to help?”

With several regions completely cut off on Tuesday, assessing extent of the damage was proving extremely difficult, and there were no formal numbers so far on people evacuated, injured, or homes destroyed.

McClure, T. (2023, February 14). Cyclone Gabrielle worst storm to hit New Zealand this century, says PM. Retrieved June 16, 2023, from https:// www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/13/ cyclone-gabrielle-new-zealand-declares-national-state-of-emergency

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There are more than 400 fires burning across Canada, with many out of control, and as smoke travels south it is prompting air quality alerts in the US.

What are causing the fires?

Forest fires are nothing new for Canada, but much like other places such as California, scientists have found out that fire seasons are getting longer and more intense due to the ever-growing climate crisis. Analysis of a procession of huge fires in British Columbia in 2017 found they were driven by extremely warm conditions made up to 11 times worse by climate change. No attribution study has been done on the current fires, although scientists will probably be undertaking work on these, including a blaze that was the largest in Nova Scotia’s history when it erupted in May.

Milman, O., Sadiq, M., Swan, L., Clarke, S., Symons, H., & Scruton, P. (2023, June 9). A visual guide to the Canada wildfires and US smoke pollution. Retrieved June 16, 2023, from https://www. theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/09/canada-wildfires-smoke-new-york-map-pictures

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Where are the fires and why are they so bad?

There are more than 400 wildfires burning across Canada, with many out of control according to officials. The fires are unusual in their timing, size and location. The “fire season”, when weather conditions are ripe for conflagrations, has only just begun. A third of the fires are in the boreal forest in the eastern province of Quebec, a place not used to deal with large blazes.

What has been the impact of all this smoke?

Unhealthy air warnings at one point covered 110 million Americans, not just in New York, but also other cities including Philadelphia, Washington DC, and Boston. Footage from space taken on the 7th of June shows Canada wildfires smoke reaching Pennsylvania. In New York schools and playgrounds have shut down, while outdoor activities have been restricted, with people donning masks outside not worn since the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic.

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The Arctic is currently warming up twice as fast as the rest of the planet and could be ice-free in the summer of 2030. The loss of sea ice would have global and dangerous consequences, these could include changes in the atmospheric circulation and fundamental shifts in ocean biological activity.

It would also dramatically reduce the amount of sunlight absorbed by the ocean, in turn causing the heat to accelerate.

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It could also increase the sea level, causing some coastal cities to be flooded, along with causing a great risk to the wildlife aboard the arctic.

If all the Antarctica sheet were to melt, sea levels would rise by 200 feet. This could cause the entire Eastern Seaboard of the US would be underwater, and Florida would vanish all together among other disasters.

Bamber, J. (2023, June 8). Arctic Ocean could become ice-free by 2030. Why it matters? World Economic Forum. Retrieved June 19, 2023, from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/06/arctic-oceanice-free-by-2030-climate-change/ Wilde, J. (2015, February 5). What Happens If All The World’s Ice Melts? Seeker.com. Retrieved June 19, 2023, from https://www.seeker.com/what-happens-if-all-the-worlds-ice-melts-1792605330.html 13

We asked some people some questions related to the growing threat of Climate Change, and here’s what they had to say.

- Are you worried about climate change?

“I am very worried about climate change because it can result in me and everyone else dying.” - Jonty A. (28) “Yes, because it affects the future generations, like my kids.” - Kay (38)

- What do you think we need to do to stop or slow it, personally and as a nation?

“On a personal level: We should make more products that were made to last longer instead of adding to the amount of rubbish that is a result of throwaway culture.

On a national level: We should have government officials push for major changes for the environment instead of finding loopholes around it.” - Jonty A. (28) “Everyone just needs to acknowledge the growing issue with climate change and start pushing to fix it.” - Chage R. (23)

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- What are you doing to help stop climate change?

“I use public transport due to not owning my own car. I use recycling bins as intended. I support companies that support real change, instead of the ones that don’t / use greenwashing tactics. and I repair / repurpose the things that I use instead of throwing them away.” - Jonty A. (28) “I will do my part by help raising awareness of the growing threat of climate change, along with reducing emissions by taking public transport.” - Kay (38) “I help do my part by reducing the amount of trash that I make.” - Chage R. (23) “I do not drive due to not owning my own vehicle. I do not buy new clothes unless necessary. and I turn the waste in my garden into compost.” Richard (25)

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