This exhibit of student art inspired by climate change kicks off Oxy UN Week 2020. The exhibit will be on display all week on the main floor in the Academic Commons.
Sarah Hofmann is presenting a photo documentation of the Salton Sea, California’s largest body of water. The Salton Sea is a prime example of how human societies impact our surroundings, relating to climate change and environmental justice. Accidentally created during an attempt to divert the Colorado River in 1905, the sea became a tourist attraction and a “crown jewel of avian diversity,” supporting a staggeringly diverse population of bird wildlife. However, in recent years the ecosystem has been heavily damaged, due to re-designation of the Colorado River’s water and unchecked agricultural pollution from surrounding farms, the former of which is causing the sea to dry up. In October of 2019, Imperial County declared a state of emergency, as airborne toxins from the now-exposed seabed are making residents seriously ill. They are hoping that the action will cause California to declare a state of emergency, allowing them to seek federal funding to mitigate the dangerous effects of the disappearing sea.
Julissa Larios created a series of drawings which seek to provide people with the experience she felt while in Costa Rica. She wishes to communicate what people can learn from nature, displaying the importance of helping preserve nature because if nature continues to be affected, we will also be affected. The drawings are of people shedding their "exoskeletons" and coming out with new colors, new skills, and new thoughts. People with wings in constant motion, people working with resilience while carrying petals to bring food back to those they love. The drawings seek to merge human behavior with animal characteristics and behaviors we can all be inspired by, allowing people to carry with them the feeling of been enwrapped by nature.
View the full schedule of events for UN Week 2020: Climate Change & Economic/Environmental Justice.
