A Day Late and a Dollar Short: Reactionary Responses to Anthropogenic Climate Change
Introduction
This publication is written the context of the modern world by the group of ten top writers who express their opinions and concerns about climate change and future effects on the environment. Currently, the world is undergoing drastic changes in temperature that results in global warming. Global warming refers to an increase in an average temperature condition of the earth climate system. The phenomenon of global warming results in various adverse effects such as drought, floods, ocean acidification, heavy rainfalls and extinction on some species of plants and animals.
There are constant debates all over the world about whom or what is responsible for global warming. Group of scholars stresses that it is a result of natural occurrences while others argue that people are responsible for activities that lead to global warming. Institutions and organizations have exhibited limited interest in solving the riddles associated with global warming however they are concerned with strategies to cope with the challenges brought about by global warming. The current efforts that are focused on solving problems associated with climate changes have not been adequate enough to bring desired results. The currents strategies being deployed are focused on reactions to the outcomes of global warming rather than orienting on precaution approaches to stop and reverse to original states. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
Despite various individuals’ express different sentiments about the subject of global warming; it is clearly evident that human activities have largely contributed to the challenge. The geological era of Anthropogenic states that human beings have adversely contributed to cha climate changes we experience today. A human being has initiated activities that have changed the atmospheric, biosphere, geologic, hydrologic and other associated concepts of global temperature changes. This argument is in agreement with Boyle’s short story since it illustrates the effects of human activities on the environment plus how people are adamant and negligent about destructions that are carried out on the environment.
In “The Siskiyou, July 1989” by T.C. Boyle, character named Tyrone whose actions are manipulated by this new wife and also has other characters such as Tyrone’s daughter and a new wife who hold demonstrations against the deforestation in Oregon forest. The human activity of cutting dome trees affects global warming since vegetation assist towards combating global warming through conversion of carbon dioxide gas to oxygen the author reveals that human actions are responsible for climate change even though in the novel the character Tyrone is hesitant against confronting individuals who are cutting down the trees even though his daughter encourages him to pick up a fight.
These characters collectively show efforts towards restoring our natural surroundings to its required state to manage climate changes. “Diary of an Interesting Year” by Helen Simpson shows the adverse destructive actions of humans to the environment. The publication is organized in form of a diary which the writer express consequence which is realized when global warming is ignored. According to the literature of this book couples who are living in the year 2040 are faced with lack of food plus fuel a condition that exposes them to struggle for survival. One of the diary entries include “boring morning washing out rags, no wood for hot water, so had to use ashes and lye again” (Simpson 56); where the writer expresses that destructive human activities have resulted in a shortage of fuel and there is no wood for basic use.
The publications share a similar opinion that the destruction of vegetation cover through human activities such as cutting down trees to harvest timber or wood has negatively influenced the human environment. Another diary entry dated 16th August 2040 states “rare dry afternoon, black lace clouds over the yellow sky. Brown grass, frowsty grey mold, fungal frills. Dead trees come crashing down without warning…”(Simpson 59), suggest that logging is not a must. The deforestation of trees results in bare land due to the absence of vegetation cover since cutting down of trees process interfere with their root structure which is used to hold the soil together. When there is a heavy downpour or strong wind the soil is carried away. The top spoil which is eroded is rich in humus and other materials that support the development of plant life. Even though the diary entries depict the future, they demonstrate to us the shocking results of human current activities and related outcomes.
The entries show us that if there is continued destructive human activities, the global warming challenge will advance and make the future life unbearable. In the publication “The Siskiyou, July 1989” it is accounted that the man, wife and female child were initiating a demonstration against cutting down of trees in the Oregon forest. The demonstrators were resisted by the police and group of loggers. The father had to create a leverage between his passion in the protest against human activities of the love for the daughter. Tyrone described nature are damaged environment in the quote, “crashing fears, terrors, night sweats, the inability to swallow and a heart ground up like glass”(Boyle 11). The writer explains that there are people in the world who react negatively to situations and acting in the way they did not intend to.
In “Diary of an Interesting Year,” the writer convinces the audience of the struggles that a couple undergoes due to the influence of global climate change which depicts human trouble. According to the accounts of diary entry dated 2nd March 2040 states: “I’m writing this instead of staring at the ceiling. There’s a mosquito in the room, I can hear it whining close to my ear….yesterday the rats in the kitchen were busy gnawing away at the breadbin, and they didn’t even look up when I came in” (Simpson 55). The author describes the scenario by illustrating that humans and animals in existence are in a struggle to survive due to the scarcity of food plus lack of fuel. The character described in the scenario is awake, but mosquitoes ignore the state and go ahead to hunt for blood to feed on to demonstrate the intensity of the struggles. Rats also experience a similar challenge when they are on the trance struggling for survival where they enter into the room even if the author is presently ignoring the impending danger.
Even the governments are struggling to survive and they put the citizens through a lot of struggles to maintain their functions adequately. The writer depicts that the government is struggling through the account of radio news which dictates possible “end of civilian use and the compulsory disabling of all remaining civilian cars” (Simpson 58). The situation restricts individuals to their homes unless they are granted permission to do so, however, the couple goes ahead and travel to evade arrest plus mugging. The weather condition was unfavorable and was obstructed by “torrential rain, often horizontal in gusting winds” (Boyle 9). The challenges which are associated with environmental degradation are real, individuals campaign for a better future for coming generations but the human activities continue to destroy the natural environment.
In The Siskiyou, July 1989, the intention of the family to create a trench in the middle of the road to pass their message to media, police, and loggers. However, neither of them had experience of concrete and their material proportional mix. Considering the case of Teo, the only incidences where she witnessed concrete being mixed was when a group of construction workers was creating a deck in their family pool a long time ago. Teo advises them that should “just dump the bags of cement in the trench, level it out and add water to the desired consistency” (Boyle 15). Sierra was surprised and was unable to comprehend how 3 adults could not understand what they are engaging in and are noticed is in the following statement by her to illustrate his dissatisfaction: “No wonder my generation is going to wind up inheriting a desert” (Boyle 15).She had expected the adults to be in control of events in their demonstration against deforestation little was she aware that none of them had idea and ability to lead the group forward in pursuit of their objectives.
The publication is an account of dramatic account of events that pertain to human struggles that the writer illustrates through the application of a family characters setting while in the “The Siskiyou, July 1989,” the accounts are nonfiction and the characters embark on a path that does not influence much environmental change. The set of characters in the two short publications illustrate the origin of climate changes that effectually affect the survival of various life forms around the globe in the future.
The story develops and the father is subjected to psychological plus physical suffering that accompanies the protest. The author illustrates why various individuals will still choose to affect global climate negatively and describes them as “bosses, under-bosses, heavy machine operators, CEO’s, power-lunchers and accountants…” (Boyle 11). Tyrone indulges his daughter into his civil defiance in an attempt to save the world supported through the claims “…this is the wilderness, or what’s left of it” (Boyle 11). Amidst the struggle for better life conditions utilized to salvage of the world environmental remnants the protest was ignored by other except the law enforcements.
The couple in the 2040 tribulations acts as warning to current generation that if no action is taken against the negative activities that promote global warming the future of humanity is doomed. The accounts of the diary, portrays a horrible situation that despite human technologies the tribulations are still persistent send c clear message to the story audience that vital initiatives should be improved to ensure that natural environment is healed. Despite the current pressures it is crucial for humanity to save the environment and develop strategies that ensure the global warming effects are minimized and possibly eliminated in our environment.
Conclusion
The responses to the anthropogenic climate change is discussed in this paper through the analysis of two short stories. It describes various causes of global warming and outcomes and illustrated in the two short stories. It provides various accounts from the two publications were the main cause of climate change is considered to be human activities. Vegetation cover is important towards contributing positively to climate changes and destroyed through deforestation. It is important for humans to take the initiative of engaging in activities that support conservation of the environment and protection of nature.
Reference
Boyle T.C. “The Siskiyou, July 1989,” 2000, I’m With the Bears, Short Stories From a Damaged
Planet. Edited by Martin, Mark. Verso, 2011, pp.7-33.
Nordhaus, William D. A question of balance: Weighing the options on global warming policies.
Yale University Press, 2014.
Simpson Helen. “Diary of an Interesting Year,” 2010, I’m With the Bears, Short Stories From a
Damaged Planet. Edited by Martin, Mark. Verso, 2011, pp.101-115.