Climate change and people’s varying attitudes towards it is
a scary thing and Carolyn Woo did not shy away from this disturbing
reality. Typically, those who need to be
convinced of this reality the most are those who are contributing most to the
problem, which makes it a very difficult issue to deal with in that sense
alone. We have been given this
incredible planet to live upon, yet we are not respecting it. If at least the
majority of the population does not begin to do so, many impossible issues are
going to be created. After all, this is
already happening in certain areas. As
we are all aware, California is in a severe drought that does not look like it
is going to be resolved any time soon.
When traveling from California to Arizona recently, I was shocked to see
how much of California looked like a desert, while Arizona was surprisingly
full of immense stretches of green grass and luscious forests.
But, as Carolyn Woo emphasized the worst results are often
outside our general range of vision and land the worst upon the poorest places
in the world, where many people avert their eyes. A rise in general temperature of a few
degrees, for example, could prevent a farmer from growing a crop that allows
his or her family to survive. When resources are diminished in these areas,
people lose their livelihoods. In these areas of extreme poverty where
education rates are low, if people lose their livelihood, it is often very
difficult for them to find another way to survive. I respect Catholic Relief Services, however,
for refusing to avert their eyes. These
people work to spread awareness of these problems in order to battle climate
change and are willing to go anywhere to assist those who have already been
horribly affected by it. The main thing
I left with from that powerful presentation is that we need more people who do
the same. After all, we truly are both the cause and the solution.Saturday, October 17, 2015
Event Blog 2: I am Climate Change, I am the Cause, I am the Solution
On Thursday, I attended the presentation “I am Climate
Change, I am the Cause, I am the Solution” presentation by Carolyn Woo. First off, I found Carolyn Woo to be an
extremely impressive person. The woman is president of Catholic Relief Services
and the former dean of the University of Notre Dame’s business school, and that
is just off the top of my head. I give props to all powerful women.
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I went to this one too! She was a very impressive speaker. She has done a lot of distinguished events and has accomplished a lot. I like your idea that ignorance can actually be a huge problem. In this case, those who do not believe in climate change can be those who are producing the most waste. I, too, really appreciate Pope Francis for his duty to relentlessly provide service to those in need. I'm sad I didn't see you there! But, it was very fun to read about it from your perspective!
ReplyDeleteMaddie,
ReplyDeleteThank you for such an eloquent and empowering reflection. Your personal experiences of traveling outside of California and seeing the impact of the drought was discouraging but as you say, so important not to ignore, to refuse to avert your eyes. I also appreciated and admired the place from which a lot of your concern seems to stem. I noticed that you wrote about "this incredible planet to live upon" and the fact that most of those affected by this issue were not those that had created the issue. To me, it seems that your sense of gratitude and perception of injustice motivates you to care which is something that I think the world needs so much more of! I think you are so right that as the contributors need to step up in order to become the solution, an exciting and empowering perspective on human potential. Than you again for this awesome reflection and props to you for being a powerful woman too, I look forward to what your care and concern will motivate you to do. See you soon!
Thank you so much Drew!!
DeleteAfter reading this, I really wish I had attended this speaker!! The issue of climate change has become something we hear so often that we may often become desensitized to it. The effects this problem has on poor farmers is something I have never considered, yet it is something that has a deep effect on people especially here in california. It was awesome reading this!!
ReplyDeleteWow, Carolyn Woo does seem like an impressive women. Thank you for sharing your recent experience of traveling outside of California. I think what we are witnessing in today's society is called the 'by-stander effect', in which everyone thinks that everyone else will do what needs to be done. So for example, in the drought, one person thinks that everyone else will lower their shower times to conserve water, therefore they do not need to. I think it is important that everyone realize that we all make a difference, no matter how big or small. It seems that you really care about educating people who are ignorant about the issues in the world and it is so empowering to see a women who is so passionate about making the world a better place.
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