Reflection

In the year 2078, today’s coastal cities are submerged under the rising tides of global warming. My pet fish must be taken for a walk, to be guided through the drifting islands of discarded plastic, not only floating down the sidewalk, but everywhere. With sea levels predicted to rise by 20-75 cm by 2050, the ocean will submerge major cities worldwide. Venice, New Orleans, Bangkok, and New York City are among those in danger of sinking beneath the waves. It’s enough to make anyone wonder: if it comes to this, how would people react? If it has gotten so bad, it must have gotten there slowly. If people are not acting now, why would they do anything differently when the water rises up to their ankles? My piece illustrates the adaptability of humankind, so strong that it often disregards the decaying world around us. Perhaps people would raise the roads to higher elevations, or move people away from the coast. Anything to adapt, prioritising comfort of the species before the survival of the planet. Maybe the public is desensitised to the topic, as sea waters gnaw away at concrete. Take your fish out for a walk? Why not? The streets are flooded, anyway. I hope that with a more approachable, humorous theme and a fun piece of artwork, people will start to consider climate change to be something real, unnatural, and ultimately caused by their failures to heed serious calls to action.