In recent years, Climate Change has moved to the forefront of political debates, especially amongst younger generations. Current world leaders do not take this issue as seriously as the youth, raising concern and enabling Climate Change to worsen. As a result of this divide, there are many outlets that strive to inform the public of Climate Change and its effect on them.

Of all these outlets, the most common and accessible is social media. There are many groups and pages all over the internet with the issue of Climate Change as its center. One such page is the Instagram account, @unclimatechange. Given the page is on social media, the audience can be generalized to the public. With straightforward posts, including nature-themed backgrounds, and easy-to-understand text, anyone who sees the image can connect the information to Climate Change. Scientists understand that the catalyst allowing Climate Change to grow and expand is a lack of knowledge. Therefore, targeting the younger generations with this information is important in order for the leaders of tomorrow to fight for reform. The post Why ADAPTATION cannot be the neglected half of the climate equation, reveals the immense financial cost for preparing for Climate Change. Circling back to the idea of world leaders, simply the costs of Climate Change is enough to turn some away from this prevalent issue. Over time, the damage caused by Climate Change will far exceed the costs for combat. Current world leaders are fixated on the short term, such as their reelection, and fail to think of adding the fight against Climate Change as a part of their legacy. This straightforwardness from the post brings about a grim tone, revealing the threat of climate change and the importance of implementing infrastructure to slow the effects. As previously stated, the goal of this post is to inform the youth that climate change is dangerous. The post featuring quotes such as “Extreme weather and climate-related hazards have killed more than 410,00 people in the past decade,” and “But the finance needed to implement these plans is not increasing fast enough,” is specifically designed to emphasize this danger. The activism in youths can also be contributed to these types of posts. They are not filled with academic vocabulary only the select few truly understand. This clear-cut language and delivery enable everyone to see what Climate Change is truly doing developing the passion we see today.

Another common source of information today is the news, specifically newspapers. One of the most popular not only in New York City, but the world is the New York Times. The New York Times article Climate Change is Accelerating, Bringing World ‘Dangerously Close’ to Irreversible Change by Henry Fountain is another work that explores the effects Climate Change may have. Within this work, Fountain focuses on sea level as a result of Climate Change. With his formal tone, he simply makes the correlation between higher temperatures and as a result, higher ocean levels. Within this work, he explains the various sources the ocean could receive the additional water from. Some of these being “Permanently frozen ground, or permafrost, [the melting] of the West Antarctic ice sheet, and the melting of Greenland’s ice sheet.” Fountain then goes into depth on what the melting of these sources means for Climate Change. The prime example of this is permafrost which “[threatens] the release of large amounts of long-stored carbon that could, in turn, make warming even worse, in what scientists call a climate feedback loop.” The purpose of his writing is to inform others of the effect Climate Change has on ocean levels rising and in turn, the effect higher ocean levels have on them. This is writing displays just how interconnected humans and Climate Change are and makes sure it is clear that the people understand they are not invulnerable to mother nature. This feeling how vulnerability then would inspire the people to demand change, who will then demand government officials for change, a feedback loop of sorts. This article was made available online, but as it is one of the New York Times assuming it is also available printed is not an exaggerated conclusion. Through Fountain being defensive on the existence of climate change in a formal manner, the New York Times piece is able to be informative. 

Though the past two ways of sharing information are effective, there are those who seek out a deeper understanding past the baseline environmental effects of Climate Change. To accommodate this demand, there exists the form of writing, Scholarly Source. In this area, there are professionals and experts in the field who collaborate for deeper knowledge. Exploring these texts without the credentials of these professionals can be a challenge, but some can be understandable such as Climate Change and Human Health by George Luber and Natasha Prudent which was published by Transactions of the American Clinical and Climatological Association. Luber and Prudent are well versed in their fields as a result of their credentials. Luber has a doctorate in epidemiology and was the former Chief for the CDC. Alongside him, is Prudent, carrying a Master’s Degree in Public Health. These individuals, therefore, with the research of others in the field of Climatology can give an in-depth breakdown of Climate Change’s effect on human health. As this text is scholarly in nature, its main audience is other doctors and climatologists and potentially government officials as the implications of Climate Change they provide are quite serious. After explaining what Climate Change is so there is a firm background in the subject, the authors go on to explain the probabilities of problems derived from Climate Change becoming worse, with all of them possessing a probability equal to or greater than 66%. With the reality of the situation in place, the authors then proceed to explain the medical implications of these problems. Some of these include but are not limited to, “heat strokes, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, and various mental illnesses.” This information is not commonly displayed to the public when compared to statistics such as the average global temperature may be to avoid panic. Regardless, the descriptive nature of the authors allows their paper to be informative and portray concern for people’s safety. As Climate Change worsens so will its impacts on life as a whole so as a species, reform is required. 

Finally, information can be provided through magazine articles. The Smithsonian Magazine provided an insightful piece called The Planet has lost Half of its Coral Reefs since 1950 by Carryn Wetzel. This article explains the relationship between corals and other living organisms in a symbiotic relationship and how delicate they are. Wetzel describes that “they’re ultrasensitive to changes in water temperature and acidity.” Life on a whole is fragile as we know and the conditions life has known for so long are changing at an alarming rate. Thus, organisms like reefs are struggling to adapt to the unprecedented changes we are experiencing. This article is directed towards those willing to learn about the effect humans have on oceanic life. The article carries a serious tone as oceanic life is in grave danger as ocean levels rise. The article informs the reader of coral reefs dying due to the increasing temperature of the ocean, changing acidic levels, and attributes the cause back to climate change. This is an example of a seemingly small consequence whose implications are quite severe, the equivalent of which on land is massive deforestation not only of trees but all plant life. The writings from all these authors explore an aspect of Climate Change in which demand public attention. Through being informative and forthcoming with the information people are able to understand and thus, join the fight against Climate Change. Though all the texts are informative, the ways in which they capture one’s attention are all different. Some are grim such as Wetzel’s The Planet has Lost Half of its Coral Reefs, about the situation while others are trying to fulfill the job of a teacher in a professional manner. These informative pieces include the United Nation’s Instagram post and the newspaper article from The New York Times. Regardless of their style, they each are able to be effective in their own methods allowing the reader to leave with something they did not come in with. Our generation may not live to see the full benefits of our efforts but this change is important for the sustenance of life as we know it.