By Kelly Schmitz & Emily Krause
Earth Day was last week, and the students at the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay had many events planned to educate students and professors about environmental issues and the effects of global warming on the world and our future.
“Since the Industrial Revolution, human activities have released copious amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which has changed the earth’s climate. Natural processes, such as changes in the sun’s energy and volcanic eruptions, also affect the earth’s climate.” (Causes, 2021)
“Many people are starting to realize that our climate isn’t just warming, it’s becoming more variable, which is really bad news for agriculture, water supplies, industry, and so many other critical aspects of life,” Jennifer Marlon, a climate scientist at the Yale School of the Environment said (Ramirez, 2022).
The students at the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay hosted many events in honor of Earth Week. On Monday, April 18th, the university students hosted Climate Teach-In, which was seminar-based learning done by professors to explore how media metaphors, business leaders, anger, refugees, literature, and more all relate to the climate crisis.
There was a talk given by Dr. Alise Coen which discussed how the seas are coming for “us,” meaning the land that humans have inhabited. Her talk also discussed refugees and climate displacement.
“There are record high temperatures that have been recorded in Iraq in recent years,” according to Coen. “Along with increased temperatures correlates water scarcity in the country compared to past years, and increased clean, freshwater salinity. This is all due to global warming and the rising sea levels in the area,” Coen said.
She also mentioned how many native peoples in the eastern countries are being displaced and forced into places without homes due to global warming. There have been many smaller, low-lying island countries surrounded by water in the east that have been subject to erosion and have displaced many people. This has a high impact on survival and culture in the eastern countries.
To go along with these talks, on Earth Day, Friday, April 22nd, students took to Wequiock Creek Natural Area in Green Bay, where they planted trees in support of the earth and to aid in climate efforts.
“I think that it is really important to go to and take part in local events like this to help out the environment,” says student Stephanie Mueller, “I really enjoyed going to the creek and planting trees. It made me feel like I was leaving my lifelong impact on the environment and doing what I can to help the climate efforts,” Mueller added.
UWGB sustainability is an on-campus organization that partakes in education and earth events all year long, not just during earth week.
For more information on events being put on and sponsored by UWGB sustainability, go to their social media pages @uwgbsustainability for more information.
