Stella Stone – Ecosystemic Magazine

Heat waves. Flooding. Crop failures. Drought. These are worldwide issues in the Anthropocene, but nowhere are their effects felt more than in developing countries in the Global South. Though these nations are nowhere near topping the list of climate polluters, they feel the effects more acutely. Some countries are warming much faster than others. For example, South Sudan’s temperatures are increasing at two and a half times the global average. Currently, 1% of the world is unlivable due to high temperatures. By 2050, that number is projected to rise to 19%. Most of this area is below the equator, predominantly in northern South America and western Africa. This increase in temperature and natural disasters leads to multitudes of harmful effects that already peripheralized countries...

By Stella Stone Misinformation and performative activism, often intertwined, are potent forces that undermine climate movements across the globe. As you mindlessly click through Instagram stories, you may see a cheery-looking graphic discussing dying polar bears. While your first instinct may be to repost this, first consider– what are the motivations of the creator? Is the information factual? And most of all, how does this even help? While misinformation can have varying definitions, a 2020 study from the University of Exeter states “[a] common theme is that misinformation pertains to information that is false, inaccurate or misleading,” (Treen et al.). Across all categories of social media, a Statistica study found that 67% of Americans have encountered fake news on social media a...