Reflection

While I enjoyed touring Hawaii with my family and friends, my concerns for the environment and wildlife constantly dragged me into deep thought. Climate change has produced challenges to wildlife, diminishing vegetation and destroying habitats. When we stopped to see the green sea turtles, I asked questions about the endangered species. What has caused them to become endangered? What can people do to save them? A paradise for tourists may not be a refuge for wildlife. There are many endangered species in Hawaii due to climate change and environmental degradation. There have been mass extinctions in the history of the Earth, but this time it is caused by humans. If environmental problems are not resolved, is Hawaii still going to be tourists’ heaven in a hundred years? These thoughts have inspired me to paint a piece advocating for environmental conservation, where the animals, representing all endangered species, are stranded on a small iceberg, representing the little dedication we have to the urgent cause. The upside-down figure and the human waste below further emphasize the imbalance between human unconsciousness around environmental injustices and animal endangerment. I painted facial expressions for a bit of humor to hopefully capture the attention of more audiences and to add vivid emotion into the piece.