Resolutions - Tumblr Posts - Page 2
Want to learn something new in 2022??
Absolute beginner adult ballet series (fabulous beginning teacher)
40 piano lessons for beginners (some of the best explanations for piano I’ve ever seen)
Excellent basic crochet video series
Basic knitting (probably the best how to knit video out there)
Pre-Free Figure Skate Levels A-D guides and practice activities (each video builds up with exercises to the actual moves!)
How to draw character faces video (very funny, surprisingly instructive?)
Another drawing character faces video
Literally my favorite art pose hack
Tutorial of how to make a whole ass Stardew Valley esque farming game in Gamemaker Studios 2??
Introduction to flying small aircrafts
French/Dutch/Fishtail braiding
Playing the guitar for beginners (well paced and excellent instructor)
Playing the violin for beginners (really good practical tips mixed in)
Color theory in digital art (not of the children’s hospital variety)
Retake classes you hated but now there’s zero stakes:
Calculus 1 (full semester class)
Learn basic statistics (free textbook)
Introduction to college physics (free textbook)
Introduction to accounting (free textbook)
Learn a language:
Ancient Greek
Latin
Spanish
German
Japanese (grammar guide) (for dummies)
French
Russian (pretty good cyrillic guide!)
Welcome back - hope you had a happy January 1st! Everyone has been talking about their hopes for 2018. I’ve heard themes of unity, peace, and working towards a better future. I’m happy that everyone is talking about about a better new year, but I’ve been thinking about something else.
Climate change is an issue that is more important than ever. To kick off the new year, I wanted to take us on a short, much-needed tour of what it is and what could happen. Hope this answers some questions~
True or False: Climate change is real. True. Climate change refers to the change in global climate patterns, seen from the late 20th century onward. Increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are produced by fossil fuel emissions; as atmospheric gases damage the ozone layer, heat from the sun’s rays is trapped between the earth and space. More heat means warmer weather, and scientists everywhere agree that temperatures have risen drastically in recent years. There will be many negative outcomes of climate change, especially if nothing is done to prevent it. The earth’s temperatures are changing too much and too fast, and so many places will suffer - if they aren’t already. If a global effort to battle this issue doesn’t kick in, we’ll face the consequences.
True or False: Humans have nothing to do with it. False. Humans have everything to do with it: we’re the reason it’s happening. There are many harmful effects human activity has on the environment, and we have to understand what we’ve done before we can decide what to do. With rising populations, more resources will be needed to provide the world’s population with food, transportation, medicine, and more. Countries need space to develop and harvest food for their citizens. Cars, trains, and other forms of transportation take people where they need to go every day. Public institutions like hospitals and schools are vital to a community. All these factors of daily life required energy sources and materials; often, those efforts end up creating excess waste. Every day, humans produce trash just by going about their daily lives. Using a paper napkin, bagging groceries with plastic bags, ordering takeout - all these actions will result in something being thrown out. Our trash ends up in landfills, bodies of water, or as litter blowing around the street. When bits of plastic or other discarded materials make their way into the environment, habitats are polluted and species suffer. While we can’t totally eliminate the waste we produce, we can make those numbers smaller. By reducing how much we use, reusing what we can, and recycling what we can’t, we can make the environment a cleaner, healthier place. ‘The Greenhouse Effect’ refers to the increasing levels of atmospheric gases harming our planet. As I said before, increased amounts of gases cause heat from the sun to be trapped in the earth’s atmosphere - the main culprit of climate change. Many of our activities require the burning of fossil fuels, which emits carbon dioxide and other gases. But there are better ways to power your home or car, such as solar power instead of electricity, or vegetable oil rather than gas. Unless we switch to these renewable energies, the main cause of climate change will remain.
True or False: Ecosystems and species will suffer. True. A warming planet will negatively effect many environmental patterns, habitats, and species. In the arctic, ice is melting at an alarming pace because of warmer temperatures. Sea levels are rising, endangering many land habitats and the animals who live there. Polar bears, for example, are loosing homes and hunting grounds because of climate change. Heat waves, shifting rainfall patterns, and other weather-related events will become stronger. A warming planet causes more heat waves and droughts, while excess rainfall and worse storms have become more frequent in recent years. All these disasters will cause global ecosystems to suffer, forcing threatened species to migrate - or go extinct. Everything in nature is connected. Rising temperatures cause more water to evaporate into water vapor, which makes up precipitation in storms and hurricanes. If more ice is melting, there is more water in the oceans, which contributes to that risk. Underwater temperatures are rising as well, which harms the inhabitants of coral reefs and other habitats. When an animal or plant species faces extinction, the biodiversity of its habitat suffers. Species that depend on it may loose a vital food source; if that species’ population shrinks, those that depend on it will suffer as well. When the food web takes enough hits, the entire structure could unravel at the seams. Climate change and what it means for the natural world is an issue with multiple moving parts, and some of those could be disastrous.
True or False: Climate change effects us. True. Rising sea levels threaten coastal cities, many of which could be underwater in just a couple of decades. Without biodiversity or stable ecosystems, the plants and animals we depend on for food could be wiped out in a similar time frame. Storms and other weather-related disasters have already damaged many people’s lives, and so many more would be uprooted. With these desperate possibilities, all your sic-fi movies could come true.
True or False: We can’t do anything. 100% False. There’s so much we can do, as individuals and as an international community. But larger steps must be taken sooner, if we want to slow down this global catastrophe. Today, many people are ‘going green’, a term that refers to making more environmentally friendly and responsible decisions. Cutting down on how much you throw out, driving a car less often, and being conscientious about the effects of your actions all will lead to a healthier planet. Changes in your daily habits have a larger effect than you think. Human emissions of greenhouse gases are the main cause of climate change - energy transition is the key. Conversion to solar and wind power, among other alternatives, will offer more jobs and be safer for the environment. But while citizens are taking action, international policy isn’t doing nearly enough. Society has put off action for so long, scientists say that the worst outcomes of climate change might not be that far off. Widespread change must happen ASAP, if we want a chance at winning the war against climate change. And that starts with you! Join organizations that do research on renewable energies, provide aid to damaged ecosystems, or advocate for government action. Find ways you can go green within your own home. Talk to others about what you know, and what needs to be done in the future.
The way I see it, all the rights in the world won’t matter if this planet isn’t sustained - & that fate rests in our hands. My hope for 2018 is that people everywhere will crack down on preventing climate change. My New Year’s resolution is to play my part by doing what I can for environmental efforts - I hope you will too. Happy New Year!