Laura's Blog

Our latest book in class was Refugee  by Alan Gratz. With its three separate narrators, in three different times and places, I thought it had a unique setup, and I loved how they tied together. Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud each had their own difficulties, even though they were in similar situations, and with the same goal: to escape. Mahmoud's story takes place in 2015, a mere three years ago. And now, people are still trying to escape their situations. All over the news right now is the Honduran caravan. They started as 160, and their numbers have only grown in the last few weeks, with the United Nations estimating 7,000 . Their path has not been easy, crossing rivers and mountains. Google estimates their current progress as over 8 solid days of walking, and doesn't include breaks for sleep or eating. Personally, I think the fact that they have covered that much distance in 16 days is admirable; I know I wouldn't be able to keep pace with them. Google also told me ...

While I know I just posted about my dad and our disagreement on climate change, that's what I'd like to focus on for the actual post I was assigned. Climate change has a major role in Paolo Bacigalupi's The Water Knife . Droughts and high temperatures result in fights over water rights, dry cities, and high tensions between states. Water is essential for life. And fighting for water is something that no one wants  to do, but it's something that could easily come up if climate change is not corrected (which at this point would be difficult). Already there are laws in place regarding water rights. Arizona put a  law  in place in 1919 that requires people to obtain permits to gather surface water--which includes well water. Until just a few years ago, people in Colorado weren't allowed to collect rain water. While that changed in  2016 , there is still a 110-gallon storage limit per household. While water is technically considered a renewable resource, becau...

I want to start this by saying, this isn't the post that's due by 10PM. I just need a place to vent for a minute. This post will include things that are anti-Trump, anti-climate change, etc. I'm using this for venting purposes. Comments are welcome. Facebook today, my father announced that he got tickets to see Trump. I asked why he'd want to (I'm anti-Trump and I don't really hide it; this is the first time my dad has posted something political that I've noticed, and while I believe he's pro-Trump, I didn't have proof) and he gave a few reasons. One of them was that Trump is "doing an amazing job despite what the media says." I responded that locking up children and pulling out of the Paris agreement are both facts, and definitely not good things. My father's answer was that the Paris agreement was "such a bad deal" as it "screwed the US and gave many other countries a pass". His only comment on the kids was tha...

Migration has never been easy. The idea of leaving your home is rarely a comfortable thought, even when you are fleeing for your life. You would much rather have the troubles plaguing you leave, over having to leave, yourself. But sometimes, leaving is unavoidable. Extreme climate change is one contributing factor to this unavoidable relocation. The map above shows how drastically the Earth's climate has changed in the last 140 years; the change is especially noticeable in the last 50 years. Some efforts are being taken to limit further change, though scientists believe that a full reversal of the climate change is impossible. The United Nations has drawn up an agreement to recognize that climate change migration is real, an issue, and needs to be taken care of. The 2015 Paris Agreement is a step in the direction of limiting further climate change; while the United States is the only country to pull out of the Paris Agreement, there are several states committed to maint...