WorldView

Great discussion yesterday. There is never enough time to get to all the thoughts, ideas, and questions, so we will continue to send out resources as you extend your discussions and learning beyond the program.

We’ve included in this post (below) an activity sheet for students to test their knowledge from yesterday and continue thinking about environmental issues, culture, and politics.

Post Activity_WorldView_Island President

In a recent NPR story, sociologist Eric Klinenberg at New York University discusses how social relations within neighborhoods can affect survival rates during bouts of extreme weather. When we talk about environmental changes, we often talk about physical infrastructure and physical resources but we fail to consider how our social infrastructure, our relationships, contribute to our well-being and safety.

In the story, Klinenberg compares the death rates of adjacent neighborhoods during a the Chicago heatwave of 1995 despite their similarities in resources and demographics.

Listen to the full (but short) story here: Neighborhood Connections Key to Surviving a Crisis

To read more: an interview with Klinenberg and the UChicago Press, “Dying Alone: An Interview with Eric Klinenberg”

Photo Credit: Elin Høyland

In an article by Randeep Ramesh for the Guardian, the Maldives are purported to have other environmental issues in addition to those outlined by President Nasheed.

“A few miles and a short boat ride from the Maldivian capital, Malé, Thilafushi began life as a reclamation project in 1992. The artificial island was built to solve Malé’s refuse problem. But today, with more than 10,000 tourists a week in the Maldives adding their waste, the rubbish island now covers 50 hectares (124 acres)…” Read the full article here

Thursday, February 7, at 7pm, on view at the Wexner Center for the Arts, the premiere of artist Michael Mercil’s Covenant. Following the film premiere there will be a panel discussion engaging the film.

Of note: Shelly Casto, Director of Education at the Wexner Center, and one of this year’s WorldView panelists, served as a liaison and worked closely with Michael Mercil at different points in his process during the creation of  the installation The Virtual Pasture.

When we think of climate change, we might think about the polar bears wandering in the arctic or islands far away with eroding shorelines. We may not think of what’s happening in our own neighborhoods. We  might think of Hurricane Katrina as ‘normal’ or Hurricane Sandy as a ‘fluke,’ but they are only two examples of a changing environment in the United States.

In order to understand some of the changes, The New York Times talked to Pamela Johnson, President of the National Corn Growers Association’s Corn Board, and asked about some of the problems and worries of farmers in the States.

Access the full article or download a PDF

 

In this short video segment, Tulane University political science professor, Melissa Harris-Perry, frames a panel discussion around environmental public policy in the United States. She asks important questions about the government’s role in mandating environmental standards for the future, and asks her panel to think critically about how environmental policies impact societies around the world.

Some follow-up questions might consider:

• Does climate change belong only within the scope of scientific study? In what ways is discussion, research, policy, action, impacting the environment, humanitarian, political, and social?
• Why does the government have to play such a heavy role in standardizing environmental policy?
• Climate change does not just affect far away places like the Maldives or the Arctic. Can you find local or national news stories that show evidence of effects in America?

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

We have a new addition to our Thursday panel, Andrea Chu. See her bio below.

Following the film on Thursday, there will be a panel discussion with four members of the Columbus community to discuss various perspectives on the issues presented in the film. We have gathered: educator Shelly Casto, artist/student/activist Andrea Chu, activist/student Kate Dye, and OSU Professor of History Dr. Thomas McDow. Read more about them below to understand the perspective each will bring to the discussion.

Shelly Casto

Shelly Casto is the Director of Education here at the Wexner Center for the Arts. In addition to many other programs and contributions, she established Art & Environment in 2004, a hands-on,  interdisciplinary course for high school students in art practice, criticism, and environmental science. Since then, she has also spearheaded several ecologically focused initiatives at the Wexner Center, including the founding of a campus farmer’s market and serving as the liaison for artist Michael Mercil’s project, The Virtual Pasture.  Casto has presented on ecology and art as a panelist for programs at Macalester College and the Wexner Center.
This is an excerpt from Shelly Casto’s full bio.

Kate Dye

Kate Dye is a Columbus native currently studying Environmental Science at Columbus State Community College. She has been involved with many environmental organizations such as Greenpeace, 350.org, and the Environmental Actions Coalition. Kate says her passion for environmental activism emerged while interning with 350.org on the ‘Don’t Frack Ohio’ campaign. This internship encouraged her to get involved in environmental organizing and she became a leader in the Power Vote campaign, a youth-movement which focuses on the vote for clean energy.  Through this work, she also obtained a fellowship with Environmental Actions Coalition. Currently, Kate is working on the Fossil Free OSU campaign which challenges Ohio State University to divest from fossil fuel investments within five years.

Dr. Thomas McDow

Some artists use their work to make visible political issues. Here are some artists who work directly with climate change.

Eve Mosher

Insert ____ Here (2011)

Michael Pinsky

Come Hell or High Water Photo credit: Mark Pinder

Bansky

Oval bridge in London. Photo credit: Zak Hussein

Former President Nasheed discusses some of his opinions on climate change prompted from the Environmental Justice Foundation, especially as it relates to the struggle for survival in the Maldives.