6 minute read
Climate Change
The Fight to Preserve Islands
Written by: Heather Scurti Illustrated by: Joseph Smallwood
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Forty-eight hours of pure devastation. Fifty people pronounced dead. Thirteen hundred still missing and more than 70,000 in need of lifesaving assistance. Hurricane Dorian, one of the strongest on record, is the latest national disaster to leave its mark on the planet. So, the question is presented: Was it just another large weather system or a direct result of rapid climate change?
For the United States, this is yet another issue in a list of many that is debated among politicians. However, for other countries — especially those in poverty — climate change is a matter of life and death, according to a 2019 Mercy Corps article.
Mariah Vertulfo, junior environmental science and global community science double major, was born and raised in Bohol, a province in the Philippines, where she has gradually seen environmental changes occur.
Vertulfo lived in the urban city of Tagbilaran for part of her childhood. During this time, she couldn’t help but notice how congested the city was and how the air quality suffered because of it.
She also lived in the rural area of Magtangtang, Danao, where she witnessed plentiful vegetation, cleaner air and plenty of water. Unfortunately, this is no longer what she sees when she visits her family now.
“Now, I notice trees have been cut down and the streams are nearly dry from the increasing heat. Before, the rivers were constantly rushing with water. They used to be too dangerous to swim in. Now, they are so shallow that you can walk across them without a problem.”
She still keeps in contact with friends in the Philippines who have changed their careers as a result of the climate.
Ashley Lobos, senior environmental science major, is another student who has experienced the effects the current climate has had on other countries.
Lobos had the opportunity to travel with the environmental science program at California Baptist University on an eco-tour led by Dr. Bonjon Koo, professor of environmental science. During these tours, students and faculty learn about different ecosystems across the world, most recently in Australia and New Zealand in 2018, and in Iceland in 2019.
Lobos went on the Australia and New Zealand tour, alongside Koo, where they traveled to three biomes — desert, rainforest and city — and studied the different climates, plants and species.
In New Zealand, Koo quickly noticed the negative effects of human activity.
“Some of the habitat (and) organisms got lost or altered by human activity, so some unique, native bird species went extinct,” Koo says.
Lobos noticed the most significant change when the group visited the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
“We did notice a lot of the corals were dying. They weren’t as vibrant; when we actually went it wasn’t really that colorful, it was already white and that means that they were almost dead,”Koo says.
As a result, sections were closed off to limit human contact and restore the reef. In addition, visitors can only bring specific brands of sunscreen that are less harmful to the corals.
“The pollution in (the) ocean is critical now," Koo says.
Koo also led the most recent tour to Iceland where students, including Sabrina Tamimi, senior environmental science major, went on a 2 1/2 mile glacial walk and witnessed the major decline of glaciers because of global warming.
“Students realized, ‘Wow, we lost that much glacier.’ It’s a weird phenomenon now. I couldn’t remember how much exactly they’ve lost but it was a tremendous amount of glacier — it became just liquid water instead of ice,” Tamimi says.
Despite the devastating glacial melt, the people of Iceland are still doing their part to make a difference by utilizing geothermal activity underground to use as renewable energy.
With major environmental shifts happening around the world, the need for solutions such as these has become more urgent.
Toeolesulusulu Cedric Schuster, Pacific Islands advisory board coordinator, and father of a current CBU student, resides in Apia, Samoa, and has dedicated his career to helping others address the growing concerns and find these solutions.
Schuster works with clients to develop plans to combat the negative effects of the climate. His clientele includes governments, private sector businesses, intergovernmental organizations, international financial institutions and community-based groups.
In addition, he has worked with the United Nations development program for more than 25 years on environmental projects in the Pacific region.
With major environmental shifts happening around the world, the need for solutions such as these has become more urgent.
Toeolesulusulu Cedric Schuster, Pacifi c Islands advisory board coordinator, and father of a current CBU student, resides in Apia, Samoa, and has dedicated his career to helping others address the growing concerns and fi nd these solutions.
Schuster works with clients to develop plans to combat the negative effects of the climate. His clientele includes governments, private sector businesses, intergovernmental organizations, international financial institutions and community based groups. In addition, he has worked with the United Nations development program for more than 25 years on environmental projects in the Pacific region.
Environmental consultants work on a range of environmental issues from biodiversity conservation to chemicals to environmental impact assessments to climate change and energy.
With Samoa still considered a developing country, it makes the issue of climate change much more pressing. Schuster has seen firsthand the impacts it has on his country.
“Many of the coastal communities have lost land up to 200 meters due to coastal erosion, surging high tides, cyclones and typhoons," Schuster says. Many of the inshore reefs have been decimated by cyclone damage (and) coral bleaching. While the intertidal zones and wetlands have either dried up due to long droughts, cyclones have caused tremendous damage to family homes [and] national infrastructure, such as roads, electricity, water supplies, as well as causing health and agricultural problems.”
As a result, Samoan villages along the coast have been relocated inland but the need for new infrastructure, roads, electricity, schools and homes has put financial stress on the local economy.
Schuster says he worries that it will be too late if global action isn’t taken soon.
“We are on the brink of being too late if actions are not taken immediately, especially for the bigger greenhouse gas emissions industries," he says.
Despite the negative social climate surrounding the environment, people such as Koo and Schuster are still hopeful that progress can be made.
“It’s late but not too late. If we start now, we can minimize the negative impact of human activity so we can take care of our Earth," Koo says.
With the efforts being made not only at CBU but also across the world, there is still hope for the environment. ◆
