Human Activity and Climate Change

Climate change is a topical and decisive issue which has the ability to polarise the community. The concept of human activities ability to impact on the earth’s weather patterns is confronting to many. Whilst there are many people who disbelieve in the concept of climate change and consider the proposed outcomes an alarmist hoax, there is also theorists who claim based on scientific evidence that rising temperatures will in turn create positive effects for the earth. The concept of global temperature increases, how they are recorded and the effects they are having are able to be measured and be observed. I will discuss different theories of climate change and the pros and cons of each theory, how they are likely to impact on our current lifestyles and how this is expressed in my artistic works.

Climate is defined as long-term averages and variations in weather measured over a period of several decades. The Earth’s climate system includes the land surface, atmosphere, oceans and ice. Scientific sources have compiled evidence observed from satellite images to thermometers at weather stations which indicates many aspects of global climate are changing rapidly, temperatures in the atmosphere, on the surface and in the oceans have increased, correspondingly snow and ice cover have decreased. Water vapour is increasing as a warmer atmosphere can hold more water.

Certain theories of climate change acknowledge there will be rising CO2 levels but maintain a carbon dioxide rich atmosphere may create ideal conditions for plants to flourish. Plant growth will in turn absorb the carbon from the atmosphere and all the resulting verdant growth will release by-products which will create a positive chain of events. Gases emitted during this process caronyl sulphide (from plants) and Iodocompounds (from marine algae) will make its way to the stratosphere where the gases will create a protective shield which will reflect solar radiation back into space, this shield will produce a cooling effect on Earth’s climate. This process will negate the rise in CO2 levels.

The Theory of Cloud Albedo relates to formation of clouds connected to burning of fossil fuels and corresponding rising CO2 levels, rising CO2 will lead to an increase in atmosphere and sea surface temperature. This heating is said to create a positive environment to protect the earth from solar radiation. This protection by rising sea surface temperatures will produce biologic dimethyl sulphide which is also a source of cloud condensation nuclei which will create cloud albedo which will reflect more incoming solar radiation. These events will keep the earth’s temperature stable.

The Theory of Bio-thermostat and the Theory of Cloud Albedo identifies positive aspects to rising CO2 levels, they maintain that bio-logical and chemical processes entirely or almost entirely offset whatever negative feedbacks might be caused by rising CO2. The theories proponents believe productivity of plants is enhanced by CO2. The more CO2 in the air the better they will grow and correspondingly the more CO2 they will remove and store in their leaves, branches, trunks and roots. By-products of this process caronyl sulphide (from plants) and Iodocompounds emitted from marine algae will also make its way to the stratosphere where it will reflect solar radiation back into space, producing a cooling effect on Earth’s climate. Flourishing plant growth will emit greater amounts of gases converted in to biosols. Biosols act as cloud condensation nuclei, which create new clouds that reflect incoming solar radiation back to space.

Despite the positive outcomes proposed by the proponents of these theories, there is a universal agreement the earth temperature is rising. Weather records have been faithfully recorded in Australia since the 1910, there has been a steady increase in temperature recordings over this period with most intense rise from the 1970’s. The concept of a substantial rise in temperature of 1oC to 2oC on land and in the sea while appearing to be an insignificant increase is capable of creating a significant change in the weather patterns. Climate-relevant changes which can be monitored and are associated with an increase in global temperature include growing season length and increasing trends in extremes of heat – heatwaves and drought and heavy precipitation events from snow to monsoon to cyclonic weather. (NCA Global Change, 2014) This document reports the impacts to health, community, agriculture, environment, and infrastructure

The monitored climate changes by the Australian Bureau of Meteorlogy from severe drought to intense monsoonal and cyclonic weather events has been borne out with the following recent events and resulting impact on human population, social and economic impact:

The intense flooding in Townsville, north Queensland and north western Queensland resulting in loss of human life, homes, animals, businesses and infrastructure across Queensland. The intensity of the rainfall increased the speed of the flood waters to such an extent that the flood waters reached Lake Eyre 10 days faster then a normal wet season, these waters carried a black soil plume into the lake. The monsoonal wet season was late and came after a period of drought. The excessive rain followed by a long overcast and unusually cold period caused a failure in germination of native grasses and animals already weakened by drought and exposure to bog and become sick.

The Climate Change and Drought Factsheet June 2018 (Steffen, Hughes, Dean, & Rice, 2018) discusses the impact of climate change and its connection to drought. Drought as defined by the Bureau of Meteorology is “a prolonged, abnormally dry period when the available water is insufficient to meet our normal use” (BOM 2018a). The factsheet states that weather records have observed rising temperatures which they suggest have contributed to a shift in weather patterns and intensity, the number of hot days are increasing with rainfall declining in southern Australia. The factsheet continues that, declining rainfall increases the severity of drought conditions, currently Queensland and New South Wales are drought declared at 57.6% and 16.4% respectively. Correspondingly it states there is recorded decrease in waterflows in river and creek catchment systems. The Climate Change study states “Droughts can have wide-ranging effects on health, including impacts on nutrition, infectious diseases, on forest fires causing air pollution, and on mental health, such as post-traumatic stress and suicide behaviour”.(Haines et al 2006: Climate Commission 2011). Droughts can also contribute to increased mortality rates. Declines in physical health are also particularly prevalent amongst elderly in drought-affected rural communities in Australia (Horton et al. 2010). The factsheet continues “Drought will impact ecosystems with a marked decline in water bird, fish and aquatic plant populations. Many terrestrial ecosystems are affected by drought, with iconic species such as the river red gum dying over extensive areas in the Murray-Darling Basin. Drought has direct, substantial impacts on the economy, with reduction in livestock numbers, destruction of crops and soil erosion and loss. Local loss also has flow on effects to employment, local processing and other dependent industries”. (Steffen, Hughes, Dean, & Rice, 2018)

To reduce the human impact on global warming scientific papers suggest the use of renewable energy sources in the form of solar, wind and hydro power/farms, electric cars, halting consumption of animal products and changes to farming practices, identifies a small portion of different ways to reduce human impact on global warming. When discussing these alternatives they may seem an easy and obvious change to implement, though a review economic, social and environmental impacts needs to be addressed.

Sugar Cane production is an example of the difficulty that is faced when implementing change that can address the effects of global warming. Sugar Cane production is an agricultural success for the Australian economy through associated industry, employment and its contribution to the Gross Domestic Product with 85% of sugar being exported, therefore sugar cane is considered vital to the economy. The flip side to this is sugar cane farms are reliant on non renewable fossil fuels for production and processing, from tilling of soil, irrigation, cane cutting and associated running of the agricultural machinery and the sugar cane processing plants. The farms also create run off and nitrification for the coastal waters which impact on the Great Barrier Reef. When addressing the reduction of sugar cane production there are regional and national impacts to consider, from loss of employment in an established profitable industry, loss of land value, under unutilised infrastructure and loss of a saleable commodity for the Australian economy. The challenges of economic and social options can be discussed relative to reskilling staff and alternative industry. Both options then require a community who are willing to give up the status quo, want change , have resources for development or alternative industry and or investors, plus support from the government for this proposed change and a down turn in the GDP.

My artistic practice reflects on human interaction with extreme weather events from drought to flood and the contradictory nature of each weather event. Through the process of divergent thinking I have explored the theories of climate change and reflected on the frequency and intensity of the weather events which have impacted on Australia.

The Australian Government website for Disaster Assist records during 2018 and 2019 the following extreme weather events described as natural disasters, these events involved population displacement, risk to public health, damage to the natural environment, agriculture and infrastructure.

Queensland:

Severe Tropical Cyclone Trevor: 19-27 March 2019

North and Far North Queensland Monsoon Trough: from 25 January 2019

Tropical Cyclone Penny: 24 December 2018 to 10 January 2019

South West Queensland Trough: 14-17 December 2018

Tropical Cyclone Owen: 9-17 December 2018

Redland Bush Fires: 28 November to 13 December 2018

Central Queensland Bush Fires: from 22 November 2018

Wide Bay-Burnett Severe Storms: 11-14 October 2018

Gympie Bushfires: 19-27 September 2018

Mareeba and Tablelands Bushfires: 17 September to 9 October 2018

Tropical Cyclone Nora: 24-29 March 2018

North Queensland Flooding: 6-10 March 2018

North and North West Queensland Low: 24 February to 8 March 2018

Central and South West Queensland Storm 20-21 February 2018

Cape York Trough: 19 January – 2 February 2018

New South Wales

Northern NSW Bushfires 11 February 2019 onwards

Inland NSW Storms and Floods: 11 January onwards

Glen Innes Severn (Highland Creek) Bushfire 25 December 2018

NSW Storms and Floods: 20 December 2018

NSW Storms and Floods: 13 December 2018 onwards

Armidale Melrose Bushfire: 1 December 2018 onwards

Port Stephens and Cessnock Bushfires: 22 November 2018 onwards

Tamworth Rockview Bushfire: 30 October 2018 onwards

Cessnock and Port Stephens Bushfires: 15 August 2018 onwards

Bega Valley and Eurobodalla Bushfires: 15 August onwards

Clarence Valley and Glen Innes Severn Bushfires 14 August onwards

Richmond Valley, Lismore and Kyogle Bushfires: 12 August onwards

Shoalhaven Bushfires: 11 August 2018 onwards

Liverpool and Sutherland Bushfire: 14 April onwards

Eastern NSW Floods: 20 March 2018 onwards

Bega Bushfires: 18 March 2018 onwards

Narrabri and Gwydir Boddiwaa Creek Bushfire: 12 February 2018 onwards

Lithgow Bushfire: 12 February onwards

NSW Central West Bushfires 9 February 2018 onwards

Victoria

South East VIC Bushfires: commencing 28 February 2019

Rosedale Bushfire: commencing 4 January 2019

Floods and Storms: commencing 13 December 2018

Central VIC Storms: 17 July 2018

VIC Storms and Bushfires: commencing 17 March 2018

Central VIC Storms: commencing 19 February 2018

Tasmania

TAS Bushfires: December 2018 to January 2019

Southern TAS Extreme Weather Event: 10-11 May 2018

Northern Territory

Severe Tropical Cyclone Trevor: 23 March 2019

Tropical Cyclone Marcus: March 2019

Daly River Flooding: January 2018

Western Australia

St Ronan’s Bushfire: 10 January 2019

Flooding in Gascoyne catchment: 30 June 2018

Flooding in the WA Wheatbelt: 25 February 2018 (Disaster Assist, 2019)

This series of natural disasters touch on every part of Australia and has been the idea for my creative body of work and coalesces with my long term interest in living sustainability in the modern world and exploration of how the individual can contribute and influence industry and commerce. My initial observations for the development of the project took place during and after the Townsville Flood of January/February 2019, this comprised of photos, drawings and viewing images from news and social media. During the clean-up and rebuild period I engaged enplien air on the streets and at the temporary dump. These images were added to and given context with anecdotal evidence supplied by friends and emergency response crews who experienced flood and rescue first hand. The artistic idea is to tell a visual narrative of the Townsville Flood, its impact and our ability to regain our footing and return to normal. I wanted also to convey the sense of lost opportunity to change and grown from the experience which is incontrast to the community response to quickly get back to normal and avoid the lesson that could be learnt.

Using the process of Divergent Thinking I was able to generate creative ideas by exploring many possible solutions or ways of telling this story from large scale Romantic inspired landscapes to a story board narrative. Experimentation with different materials and processes also add the narrative story by the use of relevant materials and processes. To further develop that artistic idea I substantiate the idea with research relevant historical and contemporary artists to view how they treated similar subject matter. I continue to engage into research through reading publications, online forums, news, scientific papers to enhance my understanding and knowledge of the subject matter.

Contemporary artists whose practice also reflect environmental concerns include Australian printmakers David Fraser and Rick Amor. David Fraser’s (b 1966) artworks often depict lone figures in landscapes which have been cleared for agriculture or are possibly in drought, they embody a sense of nostalgia or romance and a longing for a time past or different values or for when the country was a wilderness. “Frazer’s artwork explores the themes of truth, despair and the emotional and fragile state of the human condition. With his characteristic imagination and wit, David depicts isolation and both rural and urban decline in his finely detailed wood engravings, lithographs, etchings, paintings and bronze sculptures. His stage is often sparsely inhabited, with the occasional character seeming lost, as if unsure of his role in a changing world. These images are informed by thoughts of something better or nostalgic memories of a time that was never that great. However, their abandonment, alienation and longing is sometimes invested with ambiguity, slight optimism and wry humour. Although David’s work is typically Australian, the story is universal, drawing tensions between survival and hope, vitality and emptiness in images that are both poignant, mildly unsettling but entirely captivating. Not one to give too much away, David concedes that after all, “being happy and optimistic all of the time isn’t funny or tragic and wouldn’t make for very interesting art.” (Beaver Galleries, 2016)

David Fraser’s wood cut Slow Boat has the single figure in a boat run aground, the long view is obviously there has not been water for a long time and the person is wondering how they came to this impass in a waterless landscape or the more immediate view of the figure lost and bewildered in their boat.

David Frazer 1966, The Slow Boat (Study) 11cm x 16cm, wood engraving

Rick Amor, The Jetty, 54cm x 79cm, screenprint

Rick Amor’s (born 1948) seascape is very much in the Romanism style with the overwhelming waves and the ruin of a jetty. The interaction of proportion to tell the story creates a contemporary image which also links to historically significant biblical artists William Turner and Francis Danby. Turner’s ink drawings titled the The Deluge and Francis Danby’s large scale oil painting of the same title are on an epic scale and tell a tale of the reprisal of God through the hand of nature. In their time their reference for receiving such wrath was amoral behaviour interpreted by the bible. Both artists depict humans overwhelmed by the forces of nature, the massive sea and figures clinging to a rocky outcrop indicate human insignificance in the larger picture.

William Turner (1775 - 1851) 11cm x 15cm The Deluge pen and ink

Francis Danby (1793 – 1861) 285cm x 450cm The Deluge oil paint on canvas

The concept of the climate change and its links to extreme events on biblical proportions converge in to the opportunity to develop a body of work relating to contemporary themes. The contrast of creating epic flood imagery to tell a narrative that is meaningful without being alarmist and wildly confronting juxtaposes with the popular bibilical themes of the 17th and 18th century and the social and cultural apatite at the time to view and interpret story telling artworks.

Bibliography

Anderson, T., Charlson, R. J., Schwartz, S. E., Knutti, R., Boucher, O., Rodhe, H., . . . S. (2005, July 20). CO2 Science. Retrieved from Centre for the Studt of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change: http://www.co2science.org/subject/a/summaries/aerosols_general.php

Annual Climate Statement 2018. (2019, January 10). (A. Government, Producer) Retrieved April 2019, from Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology: http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/current/annual/aus/

Bast, J. L. (2010, April 22). Science and Public Policy. Retrieved April 2019, from Science and Public Policy: http://scienceandpublicpolicy.org/images/stories/papers/reprint/seven-theories.pdf

Beaver Galleries. (2016, June). Beaver Galleries David Fraser. Retrieved from Beaver Galleries: http://www.beavergalleries.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/frazer.pdf

Disaster Assist. (2019, April 4). Retrieved from Diaster Assist: https://www.disasterassist.gov.au/Pages/home.aspx

Fernandez, C. (2017, February 24). The impact of climte change on the productiveity of the ocean. Retrieved from Academia.edu: https://www.academia.edu/34275300/The_impact_of_climate_change_to_Ocean_productivity

Knorr, W. (2009). Is the airborne fraction of anthropogenic CO2 emissions increasing? Geophysical Research Letters.

NCA Global Change. (2014). Retrieved April 2019, from U.S. Global Change Research Program: https://nca2014.globalchange.gov/highlights/report-findings/extreme-weather

Niyogi D., e. a. (2004). Direct Observations of the effects of aerosol loading on net ecoystem CO2 exhanges over Different Landscapes. Geophysical Research Letters.

O'Dowd, C. e. (2002). Marine aerosol formation from biogenic iodine emissions. Nature, 632-636.

Sciare, J., Mihalopoulos, N., & Dentener, J. F. (2000). Interannual variability of atmospheric dimethylsulfide in the southern Indian Ocean. Journal of Geophysical Research , 26, 369-26,377.

Singer, C. I. (2009). Climate Change Reconsidered. The Heartland Institute.

Steffen, W., Hughes, L., Dean, A., & Rice, M. (2018, June). Climate Change. Retrieved from Climate Change Org: https:// www.climatechange.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/CC_MVSA0146-fact-sheet-drought_V2-SA_high-res_single-pages.pdf

What are the long-term effects of climate change? (n.d.). Retrieved April 2019, from USGS Science for a changing world: https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/what-are-long-term-effects-climate-change-1?qt-news_science_products=0#qt-news_science_products

Wikipedia. (2019). Retrieved from Wikipedia Divergent Thinking: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divergent-thinking

These factors are presented as outcomes from warming events will keep the earth’s temperature stable

. (Bast, 2010) The positive aspects gleaned from the research of C Idso and F Singer (Singer, 2009), Centre for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change, “Aerosols” (Anderson, et al., 2005), “Is the airborne fraction of anthropogenic CO2 emissions increasing?” (Knorr, 2009), “Direct observations of the effects of aerosol loading on net ecosystem CO2 exchanges over different landscapes” (Niyogi D., 2004), “Marine aerosol formation from biogenic iodine emissions,” (O'Dowd, 2002), “Interannual variability of atmospheric dimethylsulfide in the southern Indian Ocean,” (Sciare, Mihalopoulos, & Dentener, 2000) summarised by the Heartland Institute (Bast, 2010) Bast’s article and sources have been refuted by some in the scientific community and climate change proponents.

which are the result of burning fossil fuels whilst they are happening are also creating a positive outcome

Flourishing plant growth will emit greater amounts of gases converted in to biosols. Biosols act as cloud condensation nuclei, which create new clouds that reflect incoming solar radiation back to space.

The terrestrially and aqmperature on land and the sea temperature Here we have the pros and cons of climate change.

Climate change occurs when changes in the Earth’s climate system result in new weather patterns that last for at least a few decades. The theory of climate change concerning anthropogenic (man-made) global warming relates to changes that have occurred during the last 50 years. It is suggested there are The Seven Theories of Climate Change from man-made influences, rising carbon dioxide levels to changes in ocean currents. The theories seek to explain natural changes and the relevance of human activity in accelerating climate change and reveals alternative contributors which will be influencing climate change events. (Bast, 2010)

Rising sea surface temperatures will produce biologic dimethyl sulphide which is also a source of cloud condensation nuclei which will create cloud albedo which will reflect more incoming solar radiation. These factors are presented as outcomes from warming events will keep the earth’s temperature stable. (Bast, 2010) The positive aspects gleaned from the research of C Idso and F Singer (Singer, 2009), Centre for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change, “Aerosols” (Anderson, et al., 2005), “Is the airborne fraction of anthropogenic CO2 emissions increasing?” (Knorr, 2009), “Direct observations of the effects of aerosol loading on net ecosystem CO2 exchanges over different landscapes” (Niyogi D., 2004), “Marine aerosol formation from biogenic iodine emissions,” (O'Dowd, 2002), “Interannual variability of atmospheric dimethylsulfide in the southern Indian Ocean,” (Sciare, Mihalopoulos, & Dentener, 2000) summarised by the Heartland Institute (Bast, 2010) Bast’s article and sources have been refuted by some in the scientific community and climate change proponents.

Other articles and scientific papers I have researched suggest climate change and global warming are caused two ways: the natural cause and the anthropogenic (man-made) cause. A paper by Chien Fernandez studied the Impact of Climate Change to Ocean Productivity (Fernandez, 2017). Fernandez findings contract those of Joseph L Blast (Bast, 2010), his article indicates the slow rise in ocean temperature is caused by the burning of fossil fuels, as the particles and gases will not disperse in the atmosphere but will descend to be absorbed by the ocean, this absorption by seawater will compromise water quality through increasing acidification and increasing ocean temperatures. Fernandez (Fernandez, 2017) claims a rise in temperature will adversely affect the productivity of phytoplankton and zooplankton who form the building blocks of the food chain. Acidification will stress these and other organisms in the ocean, an example of this type of stress is coral bleaching. Live coral reefs are important structures in the ocean as they form habitat and breeding nurseries for many diverse organisms, additionally they provide protection for coastlines, are food source for humans and boost economies through tourism. Coral bleaching events which are likely to be closer together due to temperature rise will eventually kill the coral reefs. Studies also prove a rise in acidification will reduce calcium carbonate minerals which are essential to the skeletons and shells of many marine organisms, lack of calcium carbonate will affect the ability of some organisms to produce and maintain their shells which will impact on ecosystems and economies.

Rising air and sea temperatures has seen an increase in extreme weather events, NCA Global Change (2014) explains existing weather patterns and changes occurring at an increasing since the 1960s and its association with the burning of fossil fuels in the form of coal, oil, deforestation.

The 2018 Bureau of Meteorology report for Australia records “2018 was Australia's third-warmest year on record since the national temperature dataset commenced in 1910. Australia's area-averaged mean temperature for 2018 was 1.14 °C above the 1961–1990 average. Maximum temperatures were the second-warmest on record at 1.55 °C above average, coming in behind +1.59 °C in 2013. Minimum temperatures were 0.73 °C above average, the 11th-warmest on record. Only one of Australia's warmest ten years occurred before 2005, and nine of the last ten years have been warmer than average. Warming associated with anthropogenic climate change has seen Australia’s annual mean temperatures increase by just over one degree since 1910. Most of this warming has occurred since 1950. Dry conditions persisted over most of Australia during spring, annual mean temperatures for 2018 were above average for nearly all of Australia, and very much above average for most of the mainland except parts of Western Australia, mostly in the north and west, and parts of eastern Queensland. All capital cities except Melbourne and Perth ranked amongst the eight warmest years on record for annual mean temperature. Hobart had a particularly warm year, with annual mean temperatures the second-warmest on record. Days were exceptionally warm for Canberra and Darwin and also warm for Brisbane and Sydney. Nights were warmer than average for each of those cities, but not especially so. Both days and nights were much warmer than average for Adelaide and warmer than average for Melbourne. In Perth days were warmer than average.” (Annual Climate Statement 2018, 2019)

The Bureau of Meteorology reports continues “nationally-averaged rainfall for 2018 was 412.8 mm, 11% below the 1961–1990 average of 465.2 mm, making it Australia's 39th-driest year in a record spanning 1900 to the present. Rainfall for the year was very low over the southeastern quarter of the mainland. Annual rainfall was above average between the northwest coast of Western Australia and the southeast of that State. Rainfall was particularly low over the mainland southeast from April, The dry conditions over the southwest of Western Australia and the southeast of the continent during 2018 were likely driven by both natural variability and climate change. While low rainfall has persisted over many areas of the southeast for more than 12 months Persistent very high temperatures throughout the year also contributed to record high rates of observed pan evaporation for winter and spring in New South Wales and Queensland. The year was particularly dry for Melbourne, its 27th-lowest annual rainfall on record, in 161 years of observations. Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane, and Canberra all experienced a drier than average year. For Darwin, the year was slightly wetter than average, while annual rainfall was near average for Hobart and Perth. (Annual Climate Statement 2018, 2019)

The United States Science for a Changing World (2019) predict the following climate events will occur internationally, the organisation states, “Scientists have predicted that long-term effects of climate change will include a decrease in sea ice and an increase in permafrost thawing, an increase in heat waves and heavy precipitation, and decreased water resources in semi-arid regions.

Below are some of the regional impacts of global change forecast by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change:

North America: Decreasing snowpack in the western mountains; 5-20 percent increase in yields of rain-fed agriculture in some regions; increased frequency, intensity and duration of heat waves in cities that currently experience them.
Latin America: Gradual replacement of tropical forest by savannah in eastern Amazonia; risk of significant biodiversity loss through species extinction in many tropical areas; significant changes in water availability for human consumption, agriculture and energy generation.
Europe: Increased risk of inland flash floods; more frequent coastal flooding and increased erosion from storms and sea level rise; glacial retreat in mountainous areas; reduced snow cover and winter tourism; extensive species losses; reductions of crop productivity in southern Europe.
Africa: By 2020, between 75 and 250 million people are projected to be exposed to increased water stress; yields from rain-fed agriculture could be reduced by up to 50 percent in some regions by 2020; agricultural production, including access to food, may be severely compromised.
Asia: Freshwater availability projected to decrease in Central, South, East and Southeast Asia by the 2050s; coastal areas will be at risk due to increased flooding; death rate from disease associated with floods and droughts expected to rise in some regions.” (What are the long-term effects of climate change?, n.d.)

The Climate Change and Drought Factsheet June 2018 (Steffen, Hughes, Dean, & Rice, 2018) discusses the impact of climate change and its connection to drought. Drought as defined by the Bureau of Meteorology is “a prolonged, abnormally dry period when the available water is insufficient to meet our normal use” (BOM 2018a). The factsheet states that weather records have observed rising temperatures which they suggest have contributed to a shift in weather patterns and intensity, the number of hot days are increasing with rainfall declining in southern Australia. The factsheet continues that, declining rainfall increases the severity of drought conditions, currently Queensland and New South Wales are drought declared at 57.6% and 16.4% respectively. Correspondingly it states there is recorded decrease in waterflows in river and creek catchment systems. The Climate Change study states “Droughts can have a wide-ranging affects on health, including impacts on nutrition, infectious diseases, on forest fires causing air pollution, and on mental health, such as post-traumatic stress and suicide behaviour”.(Haines et al 2006: Climate Commission 2011). Droughts can also contribute to increased mortality rates. Declines in physical health are also particularly prevalent amongst elderly in drought-affected rural communities in Australia (Horton et al. 2010). The factsheet continues “Drought will impact ecosystems with a marked decline in water bird, fish and aquatic plant populations. Many terrestrial ecosystems are affected by drought, with iconic species such as the river red gum dying over extensive areas in the Murray-Darling Basin. Drought has direct, substantial impacts on the economy, with reduction in livestock numbers, destruction of crops and soil erosion and loss. Local loss also has flow on effects to employment, local processing and other dependent industries”. (Steffen, Hughes, Dean, & Rice, 2018)

These climatic observations also confirm the books and talks presented by Jeremy Rifkin

The Anthropogenic Global Warming Theory whose proponents include climate change scientists, social and economic experts Al Gore, Jeremy Rifkin,

Divergent Thinking is the thought process or method used to generate creative ideas by exploring many possible solutions. It is often used in conjunction with its cognitive colleague, convergent thinking, which follows a particular set of logical steps to arrive at one solution, which in some cases is a “correct” solution. By contrast, divergent thinking typically occurs in a spontaneous, free-flowing, “non-linear” manner, such that may ideas are generated in an emergent cognitive fashion. Many possible solutions are explored in a short amount of time, and unexpected connections are drawn. After the process of divergent thinking has been completed, ideas and information are organised and structured using convergent thinking. Traits commonly associated with Divergent Thinking are non-conformity, curiosity, willingness to take risks, and persistence (Wikipedia, 2019)

The different theories of creativity alone cannot fully explain the process of an artist creating an artwork. In the case of my own art practice I may be categorised in Maslow’s theory as having all her essential needs met and in now in the comfortable place to explore my creativity. This does not explain the why, how or what of my art practice. Based on my research of the different theories of creativity and associated artists I seek to explain how I progress my artworks.

To identify the source of an idea down to a single light-bulb moment is not possible. It is a case of being aware of my interests, which is influenced by the people around me, my town and natural environment and current events socially and politically. There is no way these interests can appear in one art work, I take these divergent thoughts and drilling down to a focus or idea through a process of mental mapping.

The research will inform the treatment of the subject in my chosen media.

Bibliography

Annual Climate Statement 2018. (2019, January 10). (A. Government, Producer) Retrieved April 2019, from Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology: http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/current/annual/aus/

Bast, J. L. (2010, April 22). Science and Public Policy. Retrieved April 2019, from Science and Public Policy: http://scienceandpublicpolicy.org/images/stories/papers/reprint/seven-theories.pdf

Beaver Galleries. (2016, June). Beaver Galleries David Fraser. Retrieved from Beaver Galleries: http://www.beavergalleries.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/frazer.pdf

Disaster Assist. (2019, April 4). Retrieved from Diaster Assist: https://www.disasterassist.gov.au/Pages/home.aspx

Knorr, W. (2009). Is the airborne fraction of anthropogenic CO2 emissions increasing? Geophysical Research Letters.

NCA Global Change. (2014). Retrieved April 2019, from U.S. Global Change Research Program: https://nca2014.globalchange.gov/highlights/report-findings/extreme-weather

Niyogi D., e. a. (2004). Direct Observations of the effects of aerosol loading on net ecoystem CO2 exhanges over Different Landscapes. Geophysical Research Letters.

O'Dowd, C. e. (2002). Marine aerosol formation from biogenic iodine emissions. Nature, 632-636.

Sciare, J., Mihalopoulos, N., & Dentener, J. F. (2000). Interannual variability of atmospheric dimethylsulfide in the southern Indian Ocean. Journal of Geophysical Research , 26, 369-26,377.

Singer, C. I. (2009). Climate Change Reconsidered. The Heartland Institute.

By Jo Stacey

Cape Creative

Bibliography

Bibliography

Cc