Reflection

Reflection

The world as we know it is melting; yes, quite literally, melting. Climate change is a serious issue that is not only harming humans, our welfare and economy, but it’s putting countless species at risk of extinction. My artwork portrays the dilemma created by climate change, and it explains how the human race is directly tied to this matter. The hand holding the ice cream bar represents how humanity has full responsibility over the climate change issue, as greenhouse gases are increased anthropogenically, according to NASA. Also, I purposefully made this art piece an ice cream bar to represent the benefits and pleasure we obtain from Earth; however, we do not realize the impact we leave behind, portrayed by the bite. This effect leaves the polar bear, symbolizing wildlife, with nowhere left to go, as about 13% of all arctic sea ice melts each decade because of climate change. The buildings below the ice highlights the exponential increase in urbanization, and in a sense, these buildings fuel the glacier melting and sea level rise. Human expansion will inevitably magnify climate change, and it will cause global temperatures to rise. Luckily, there is still time to act, and awareness is the first step to solving any problem. I hope that this painting will educate many about the situation that is looming over us. As John F. Kennedy once said, “We are tied to the ocean;” therefore, we must take responsibility and solve the nightmare we created.