The Australian fires have been raging on for over three months.
The fires began in September during the prolonged drought in the continent. There are 24 people suspected of starting the fires..
About one billion animals have died trying to escape these fires, said Dr. Mark Davies, professor of social and ecological ethics.
“The consequences of climate change are becoming so prevalent and so pronounced that we are able to see them as something that’s happening now instead of the future,” Davies said.
Davies said the Australian wildfires are just some of many examples of what climate change is doing to the planet.
“It’s become something that’s gained international attention, but we’re seeing these events all across the world. These events are real and pronounced, and I think people can no longer ignore them and say that it’s an isolated event,” Davies said. “It’s not just one storm, but a long series of events.”
Addison Saviers, religion junior, said even though the fires are devastating, some good change is coming out of the crisis.
“Something that I have noticed that I really like about the response to the Australian wildfires is that a lot of social media influencers, bloggers and Youtubers are taking their merch and sending the proceeds to the wildfire efforts,” Saviers said. “I think that is probably the best thing that’s come out of this, just seeing the response coming out of social media to raise awareness and money.”
Saviers said even though donations are good, they are not enough to spark global change.
“It’s easy for people to donate time and money when there’s a natural disaster, but being someone who tries to be environmentally friendly year-round, I see that the cause is global warming and climate change and all of these bigger environmental factors that play into these wildfires, even though they may not be a direct cause or result,” she said.
Saviers said she hopes people remain passionate about the issue.
“I just hope that people will fight this hard for the environment even when there’s not wildfires, even when coral reefs aren’t dying, even when people aren’t cutting down the rainforest, because it’s so easy to be concerned when it’s a specific event,” she said. “Once this event is done I fear that we will go back to the way we were living and not really take this seriously or see the impact it makes on the globe.”
Maria DeLoera, political science/philosophy/economics sophomore, said there are plenty of resources available for students to become more environmentally aware.
“Social media is a big thing. They can follow ecological influencers on twitter to find tips on how to be more environmentally friendly,” DeLoera said.
DeLoera is also the president of Stars on Earth, a club on campus dedicated to going green.
“We always start off by talking about environmental news,” she said. “If they want to come to the meeting just to hear about what’s going on, that’s fine.”
Davies said students need to utilize the resources that are made available to them.
“Oklahoma as a whole is probably not one of the leaders as far as sustainability. Some of that may be related to the fact that we’re so dependent on one of the most unsustainable forms of energy,” he said. “We do have a fairly robust recycling program. Recycling is just the tip of the iceberg as far as ecological sustainability. Using what is available is one thing that can be done.”
Davies said students should try to make their voices heard.
“What a lot of students can do is become advocates for greater possibilities. Not just for recycling, but for reusable energy and mass transportation and making the city as a whole more sustainable. The power of student voices is really great,” he said.
DeLoera said she wants to work to make OCU more green.
“I want to put OCU on the map for being an environmentally friendly campus,” she said. “We are already known for our nursing program and our arts and our academics, and if we could be known as an ecological campus as well, that would be my goal.”
Davies said he encourages everyone to make a change.
“Any ways that students can be involved in educating themselves and becoming activists would be the best beginning to those wishing to make change.” he said.
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