Annie Wardwell
English Composition
Prof. Emerson
November 17, 2019
The Connection Between Art and Climate Change
Using art and science together when designing a plan to change real world issues is the most impactful, when trying to solve an issue. Art takes a whole step forward when people are trying to solve an issue, such as climate change. Climate change is such a hard issue to solve, because not enough people believe in it or we do not have enough people helping in the simplest ways. Climate change has always been a hot topic in the United States, but we never have fully solved the issue. People that actually care about change if there is proof. In the two articles that I read, one by Yo-Yo Ma and The Future of Science… Is Art?, by Jonah Lehrer, they both argued the importance of how art affects our beliefs and views on certain cultures, such as science.When people go to protest or publish articles about how bad temperatures are rising and how it is affecting our health, that is what moves people. Art gets people not only thinking, but realizing what needs to be changed in the world.
In order to convey the power of art you need to understand how to display a piece of art correctly. By displaying photography and paintings you tell a story. “One day we believe, science will change everything” (Lehrer 1). Art is sciene’s parallel, meaning they go together, you can’t have one without the other. Everything that art does affects science and strengthens the importance of why we think the think the things we think, and why we believe the things we believe. Therefore, art has the potential to solve all problems someday.
Now a days, we are limited to solving real world problems. We don’t know how to solve them, which is why the only thing that seems to be catching peoples eye, is proof. “The history of science is supposed to obey a simple equation: Time plus data equals understanding” (Lehrer 1). When Lehrer is talking about an equation, he is referring to an equation that needs to be created. Once we create that equation, time will pass and we’ll conquer the issue itself. People don’t believe real world problems, like global warming is a big deal until there is evidence. Which is why art is changing people’s beliefs and opinions on what we need to do to change and solve our problems.
Art helps people see reality. “Evolution is the balance between stability and the changes necessary to cope with new challenges in the environment” (Yo-Yo Ma 2). When people act on problems in a creative way it influences other people to do the same, by overcoming new challenges. People organize protests and chants all the time, which gets people to listen to the public community, there is a message being conveyed in every piece of art. Organizing protests is just one way of changing people’s views, people create posters as well as creating social media posts to get the word spread that their needs to be a change with our environment. Social media posts are one of the most beneficial ways to get a message spread, because everyone is constantly on their phones or devices.
In conclusion, the best way to solve problems is by being creative. “ARTISTS NEED TO CREATE ON THE SAME SCALE THAT SOCIETY HAS THE CAPACITY TO DESTROY” (Bon 3). Once one person in society creates a piece of art or states a certain idea, others will follow. The importance of art is crucial when we’re talking about such a global issue, like climate change.
Multimodal Statement: Throughout this paper, I chose to talk about the importance of art influencing our society’s views on our environment. I chose three images to include in my paper. The first one I chose was the picture of a rally organized by people. They were protesting against climate change and they wanted to get their point across, that we need to change our choices and attitude towards our environment. The second image I chose, says there is “NO PLANET B”. In my opinion this was one of the most meaningful pictures. It raises awareness to society, by telling them that we don’t get second chances, and there is nothing we can do to stop it, if we don’t fight back. There is no back up plan. The third picture I chose to incorporate in my essay was a tweet from president Barack Obama. In his tweet he’s clearly taking a stand even after he’s not president. The best way to convey a message now a days, is to post on social media. He has proven that he will take a stand for what he believes in no matter what anyone else thinks. He’s willing to still use his known leadership skills to influence people’s opinions on helping saving our planet.
Works Cited:
Distributors, Alpha. “SpreadShirt.” Spread Shirt, BestSub, there-is-no-planet-b-poster.jpg.
Lehrer, Jonah. “The Future of Science…Is Art?” The Future of Science…Is Art?, 16 Jan. 2008, http://daniellevitin.com/levitinlab/printmedia/2008-The_Future-Seed_Magazine.pdf.
“LOG IN TO ACCESS.” Onlinelibrary, https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.une.idm.oclc.org/doi/full/10.1111/zygo.12413.
Ma, Yo Yo. “YoYoMaNecessaryEdges.” Yo-Yo Ma, https://elishaemerson.uneportfolio.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/400/2018/09/YoYoMaNecessaryEdges.pdf.
“Schools’ Climate Change Protests.” Schools’ Climate Change Protests, BBC News, 15 Mar. 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-47572585.
