Reflection

In order to address the subject of climate change and its effect on the ecosystem, I created this artwork called “The Dangers of Climate Change.” In the drawing, the ocean depicted in the silhouette of polluting smoke is meant to represent the direct effect of climate change on animals, with the polar bear stranded on a small iceberg and the skeletons of whales, sharks, and other small fish. The buildings in the background were added to show how society and humans remain unchanging, even though change is urgently needed in order to stop global warming. When creating my work, I was inspired by the prompt of the competition and also by the Ted Talk of Greta Thunberg, a young Swedish climate activist, who repeatedly insists on the fact that no one seems to be doing enough to stop global warming. I originally decided to participate in this competition just for fun, but, as I began drawing, I was overcome with sympathy for the animals represented, and my research led me to understand more about the true extent of damage the changing climate causes to our world. This made me feel even more strongly that humans must reduce pollution in order to save the numerous species threatened by it. Through my work, I wish to convey to all viewers that climate change may be even worse a problem than one might expect and that we, humans, must do all we can in order to stop it once and for all.