Rod Shegem

Words are powerful, especially when they come from influential people. When people in positions of power speak, the public listens that much closer to what they have to say and pay more attention to the subject that they’re talking about. For years, Leonardo Di Caprio, a famous Hollywood actor, was one of the sole celebrities who used his popularity to bring attention to climate change and other environmental issues. Using his status to draw attention to this crucial subject matter spurred on...

Pollution is a well-known and commonly talked about topic, especially in politics, and when it’s in reference to places that we can clearly see (such as cities, the sides of highways, or forests), we can gage at how serious the situation is. However, the ocean is expansive and just as mysterious to humanity as space is; after all, eighty percent of the ocean still remains undiscovered. That’s a massive portion of our planet that is threatened by pollution just as much as the other ecosystems ...

Earth is the only planet we have. Sure, scientists are exploring space to find other habitable worlds that humanity can settle on (such as Mars or the Moon), but until then, it’s our job to take care of the planet we call home. That doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone needs to make large donations to organizations working on how to solve climate change—one of the simplest ways to take care of Earth is to make lifestyle changes that are more environmentally friendly. This can be a big chang...

Over the past several years, the weather has been getting more severe. Heat waves, in particular, have made it difficult to be outside comfortably or without air conditioning, and as the Earth’s climate warms, this—along with other extreme weather patterns—is becoming increasingly common. Scientists identify extreme weather patterns by comparing them to what’s considered normal in the region in question, looking at the weather’s historical record to determine what’s abnormal and what’s not. E...

Climate change experts have spent years, if not decades, warning the public about extreme weather potential. The effect of climate change has now become the most obvious in the northernmost parts of the planet. It is important to note first that hot weather near and above the arctic circle happens naturally at times. During the summer, the 24-hours of sunlight introduces a lot of heat to the area, and many regions have on record high temperatures of 80 degrees to 99 degrees. The situation now...

Climate change has affected our daily lives. From rising temperatures to rising ocean levels, the effects of climate change are real. Whether governments or individuals want to accept this premise is a different topic. Recently, research has suggested that in some regions of the world where some food items are common with toxins, the level of toxins may increase. Here’s how climate change is affecting food safety; in particular the foods most affected by climate change.
Cassava:
Cassava is a ...

Climate change remains the most severe problem society faces today. Ice caps are continuing to melt in the arctic. Droughts are becoming more frequent. Floods tend to last longer in Africa and South America, and floods are creeping further into the U.S. If you want to do your part to stop climate change, here are four lifestyle changes you can do.
Eat Less Meat
At present, more than 10 percent of the world’s land surface is responsible for producing crops. The land’s primary use is to feed ca...

According to a new study, the melting of the permafrost is connected closely to the absence of Arctic sea ice. The study is significant because permafrost contains carbon in massive amounts; these will very likely release as the world heats up under the shifts of climate change. When this carbon finds its way into the atmosphere as methane gas and CO2, it will join the other factors contributing to the warming of the globe.
Scientists have found a link between the sea ice located in the Arcti...

Currently in the Netherlands, there is a system in the prototype phase that has shown signs of promise to finally combat the ocean plastic dilemma. A nonprofit firm called Ocean Cleanup says its system is able to pick up ocean waste and hold it until it is able to be picked up. The system is able to pick everything from large objects including nets to small microplastics less than 1mm. So how does this system actually work to combat ocean pollution?
Before talking about how the history of the...

Unless you have been living under a rock, you have some knowledge about the extent of ocean plastic in our oceans and the devastating effect on our planet. There are innocent marine animals that are being killed daily by consuming single-use plastics or simply being caught in plastic items including turtles getting plastic objects stuck in their noses and other animals being caught in plastic netting. Many news outlets have led us to believe this pollution in the ocean comes from individuals ...