![]() Climate change: The Basics (for dummies) The Earth is getting warmer and humans are the cause. Don’t believe me? What’s the ONE topic of conversation these days? “it’s so hot”. Sounds familiar? Ranting with your family on the dinner table about the unbearable heat and how it seems to be getting worse each year. We’ve all heard about global warming and watched national geographic thinking, “Oh this won’t happen in our lifetime and besides, what can we do about it?”; and it’s not just the heat, ice caps melting, leading to a rise in sea levels. Extreme weather changes: storms, floods, droughts, heat waves, snowstorms. Well time to channel our inner Greta Thunberg because turns out, there’s actually something we can do about it! But first we must understand what exactly is happening. Climate change raises issues of paramount importance on the frontiers of science, economics, society, politics, and moral and ethical questions – and is a global problem. I’m sure you know the heat is all an outcome of global warming. Heard of the term greenhouse gas? This is where they come into play. The two major greenhouse gases occur naturally and can be INCREASED by human activity. These two gases are carbon dioxide and methane. Carbon dioxide has been lingering in the air for hundreds of years; and released through the carbon and nitrogen cycles into the atmosphere, as well as by burning fossil fuels such as coal, and oil. On the other hand, methane is produced by rotting garbage/wastewater, gas from livestock, and rice crops. Anything that decomposes naturally without air creates methane. All of this increases the amount of greenhouse gases which causes the Earth’s atmosphere to trap more heat; and here we are. Alright so now we know, question is what do we do? There are plenty of ways you as a person can help prevent increased greenhouse gas emissions. Firstly, switch to alternative technologies that don’t require gasoline. Sounds like a lot but it’s simple. When possible walk, or bike. Reducing your consumption of red meat is also a laudable strategy. Cattle are the third biggest emitters of greenhouse gas. By reducing your consumption of red meat, you can cut down your carbon footprint by more than 40%. Other than switching to renewable energy sources such as solar, and wind power, NASA recommends the mitigation and adaption strategy. Mitigation refers to reducing emissions and adaption, meaning adapt to the current climate of your surroundings. The UN Climate Convention keeps a portfolio of dozens of global projects that you can contribute to à https://offset.climateneutralnow.org/howtooffset Whether you’re a farmer working out in the fields or the biggest banker on Wall Street, climate change will have an impact on your life, and your generations’ too. We’ve been warned for decades but it’s time we take heed to these warnings, and act. Citations: https://www.dummies.com/education/science/environmental-science/global-warming-for-dummies-cheat-sheet/ https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20181102-what-can-i-do-about-climate-change https://climate.nasa.gov/solutions/adaptation-mitigation/
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![]() 2020. Where do we even begin; the year that truly and in all literal senses, turned the world, and our lives, upside down. The beginning of a decade which held so much hope and opportunity proved to be a year of misery, and immense losses. We felt as if each month brought a new sense of fear; something else to worry about when all else had not been dealt with. We saw many socio-economic, as well as political campaigns. We saw the re-emergence of many movements. We saw countries suffer at the hands of tyranny and oppression, and biggest of all, the pandemic; nonetheless, the difference was awareness. We saw it happening because our own individual worlds were standing still. However, I will most certainly not be going on about all the things that could, or could not have happened this year; this post is intended to bring out the few silver linings in the grey cloud, in the form of lessons. There are a few takeaways which I personally have from several experiences throughout the year and I feel as if these go for everyone in one retrospect or the other. 1) Gratitude Being grateful and appreciative for not just what you have, but for those around you. Throughout the spread of the pandemic, people across the global suffered on a massive scale; people lost jobs, we lost family and our spirits; wondering when life would be back to normal again. Then we adapted; it’s human nature. We found solace in the littlest of things. A fresh cup of coffee in the morning; A long walk around the block; spending a few moments in nature; being there for each other. It kept us alive and will continue to do so. 2) Selflessness We learnt to care for others like we care for our own. We learnt that one man’s “accidental” death at the hands of oppression did not go to waste if each and every one of us stand up for what is right. 2020 has taught us that the adversity we face and the resilience we respond with, has the power to shape our lives. Each and every one of us came to the realisation that we have a voice; one that is our own and cannot be taken from us; but it has the power to change people's lives, as it has. 3) Simplicity It really is the little things. We learnt that life isn’t about how much money you have or even what you can do with it. Having everything shut, cancelled and taken away from us has revitalised the joy of small, happy moments. We found solace in hour long face-time sessions with our friends, rekindling the spark left by old hobbies that had been abandoned years prior; marvelling at sunsets, or sunrises from our rooftops; we were all so far from each other, yet so close in spirit. 4) Company Ah yes, the most important. We learnt how very necessary human connection is. We realised the difference we make in peoples lives, as they do in ours. We saw how caring for our own mental health was tough, but knowing that there are people in your life that make it worth living, made it easier. We stuck together, with each other. I for one, felt as if I’ve gotten even closer to the people that I love this year then ever before. We shared the bad times with each other and came out of them as better people, with stronger bonds than ever before. 5) Awareness We learnt how very necessary it is to be aware of yourself and of your surroundings. In order to be in control of your life, you need to fully understand what is happening around you. We each went on our own journeys of self-discovery. Stuck at home with nothing to do we realised many things. The power to change these things is now in our hands. Becoming self-aware is not an option anymore but rather, a necessity. We saw how we respond to certain situations, and how important it is to understand ourselves, in order to withstand any circumstance life throws at us. 6) Empathy I sometimes believe as if the solution to every minute problem or issue that we face personally, or even on a global scale, can be solved with empathy. Empathy requires you to put yourself in the shoes of another person. How THEY feel. How your actions may have affected them; how we all must be held accountable, for how our actions impact the lives of people. We learnt to be more understanding and kind, as every single person lives a life we know nothing about. Just be kind, it costs nothing but it may mean the world to someone else. It may even save a life. If we look back, do we really only remember the bad times? Being forced into isolation, caused us to grow as people. Let this be a reminder to not think less of yourself because this year you could not make much progress. It wasn't easy for you to make it here and perhaps this year we've realised how powerful it is to just hang in there. So much around you has changed and while you still need time to make sense of everything; remember that there were also things that stood by you through it all and that, in itself, is something to be grateful for.Be proud of yourself for making it here. Happy New Year everyone <3 Before we begin, I understand that astronomy is not everyone’s cup of tea. To make this post easier to follow if you do not have a scientific background, I am leaving a glossary of important scientific words at the end of the post as well as a key so make sure to refer to it if you find something confusing or difficult to understand. For my fellow science nerds, if ya’ll want the full conspiracy theories keep reading till the end. Enough banter, let’s get to it.
What's the big deal with the discovery? Here we go again; 2020 is really outdoing itself. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic which literally has the entire world on its toes, rumors of an alternate/parallel universe in which time travels backwards and everything is the exact opposite to how it would be on earth, spiral. According to many hypotheses, in this parallel universe, left is right, positive is negative, and of course, time runs backwards. Scientists operating the ANITA*1 in the Antarctic discovered high energy neutrinos*2 coming from WITHIN the earth’s surface. The chilling bit is that these neutrinos usually travel in the opposite direction; outwards. Is it true? So is it true or just a bunch of bogus? I mean we’ve seen it before in science fiction, Back to the future, star-trek, Stranger things, the Marvel and D.C multiverses, so is it possible in real life? Well here’s my perspective based on the research. It’s a step forward in discovering the real truth about Multiverses/Mirror-verses*3; Marvel and D.C fans let’s not get our hopes up. The bottom-line of the whole argument is a violation of the Standard Model of Physics*4. Thing is, these particles are constantly colliding with us however they do not INTERACT with matter, apart from a few exceptional cases. When they do, devices like ANITA are able to identify the secondary particles created as a result and thus trace them back to the source of the neutrinos. What's the evidence? Now for the evidence, every newspaper headline states that scientists have found evidence for, “A PARALLEL UNIVERSE WHICH EXISTS IN WHICH TIME TRAVELS BACKWARDS”. This, in my opinion is a stretch at THIS moment currently. What NASA has found evidence for, is high-energy particles which come to earth from outer space, to say it in simple words. Now here’s where it gets interesting. Scientists at the IceCube Neutrino Observatory*5 are baffled as any anomalous event detected by ANITA meant the detection of many more by IceCube itself. However, none were detected. Scientists believe that because of this, the option of these events being generated by a high-point source, can be ruled out. Here’s what the academic paper published after analysis of ANITA by IceCube had to say;- “An astrophysical explanation of these anomalous events under standard model assumptions is severely constrained regardless of source spectrum.” Correct translation: we don’t yet know where these signals came from. Incorrect translation: these high-energy neutrinos came from a parallel universe. Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiecartereurope/2020/05/21/has-nasa-found-a-parallel-universe-where-time-flows-backwards-the-truth-behind-the-headlines/#6c6e5ddb646d THIS IS AS FAR YOU WANT TO GO IF YOU’RE NOT INTO SCIENCE. SCIENCE NERDS, HERE WE GO What's the history? Delving into the history of Quantum Mechanics is literally like being sucked into a black-hole; it’s endless. Here’s my simplified and relevant portion of it. To start off here’s a summary of the five *basic* theories . 1. Infinite Universes: This theory presents that the universe is flat and goes on forever; however universes may be replicated as particles can only be put together in so many ways. 🌓 2. Bubble Universes: This states that universes are constantly inflating and thus present different laws of physics to our own. 🌓 3. Daughter Universes: This one is personally my favourite; consider it as an alternative reality to the one you’re living in right now, with each decision you’ve ever made as a thread in the universe where your alter ego *somewhere* is living that life. 🌓 4. Mathematical Universes: In this universe, everything relies on math, with zero human baggage meaning everything is quantitative with no emotion involved. Sounds interesting doesn’t it? 🌓 5. Parallel Universes: Back to the topic at hand. Based on the idea that space-time is flat, there are only a number of configurations of the universe that are possible, meaning that there are infinitely many cosmic patches exactly like ours; as well as ones with one or two or many different particles, thus being completely different to the universe as we know it! 🌎 Now let me throw some names at you; Stephen Hawking, Hugh Everett, Max Planck. It’s their theories that laid the foundation for everything we’re speculating about the universe in relation to Quantum Mechanics. Hugh Everett came up with the theory of multiverses. This envisions our Universe as just one of numerous parallel worlds that branch off from each other, nanosecond by nanosecond, without intersecting or communicating. (The many-worlds theory differs from the concept of the multiverse, which pictures many self-contained universes in different regions of space-time.) Stephen Hawking came up with the theory of eternal inflation in which there is an exponential expansion of space in the universe’s first fraction of a second. Eternal inflation suggests that some pockets of space keep expanding exponentially forever, while some (like the one we inhabit) don’t. If this theory is an accurate description of the cosmos, then we live in a multiverse consisting of many isolated bubble universes. If it’s true, then our entire known cosmos of galaxies and stars exists inside a sort of bubble, but many other bubbles – forever unknowable – exist outside ours. Some might have laws of physics similar to (or even the same as) ours. Some would operate very differently. Lastly Max Planck, whose fame lies in originating quantum theory. This theory revolutionized our understanding of atomic and subatomic particles. Possible theories · The existence of matter which exerts a gravitational force, but does not interact with light · The existence of a parallel universe, multiverse, or mirror-verse · Black-holes or worm-holes being the birth place of these universes · The theory of cosmic inflation and the fact that the universe is constantly expanding · The possibility of particles travelling back in time The thing with science is, there’s too much to talk about but so little range. I will do a few more posts on this so if you have any recommendations of concepts I should add, or if you have any criticism to give, you can reach out to me on my instagram page. VOCAB *1 ANITA : NASA's Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA), a radio detector that is mounted on a balloon, that can identify cosmic-ray air showers in the cold, dry air above Antarctica, where there is little or no radio noise to distort its findings. *2 Neutrinos : A neutrino is a subatomic particle that is very similar to an electron, but has no electrical charge and a very small mass, which might even be zero. *3 Multi-verses : a hypothetical collection of potentially diverse observable universes, each of which would comprise everything that is experimentally accessible by a connected community of observers. Mirror-verse : A mirror universe is a type of alternate universe in which familiar characters are given reversed characteristics. *4 Standard Model of Physics : The Standard Model of particle physics is the theory describing three of the four known fundamental forces (the electromagnetic, weak, and strong interactions, and not including the gravitational force) in the universe, as well as classifying all known elementary particles. *5 IceCube Neutrino Observatory : The IceCube Neutrino Observatory is the first detector of its kind, designed to observe the cosmos from deep within the South Pole ice. Stay safe everyone ♥️ References : https://www.timesnownews.com/technology-science/article/parallel-universe-where-time-travels-backwards-maybe-not-but-nasa-project-points-at-crazy-cosmos/595271 https://www.timesnownews.com/technology-science/article/nasa-scientists-reportedly-discover-evidence-of-parallel-universe-where-time-moves-backwards/594533?utm_source=relatedarticles&utm_medium=widget&utm_campaign=related https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiecartereurope/2020/05/21/has-nasa-found-a-parallel-universe-where-time-flows-backwards-the-truth-behind-the-headlines/#6c6e5ddb646d https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/27/world/neutrino-research-anita-scn-trnd/index.html https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/hugh-everett-biography/ https://www.britannica.com/science/multiverse https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-02602-8 https://earthsky.org/space/stephen-hawkings-final-theory ![]() 🌟🌟🌟 DISCLAIMER: All the views mentioned in this post are my own and what I've seen around me in society. If you as an individual do not engage in any of them do not take it personally. The only purpose of this post is to bring light to the extreme form of racism that exists within us and the fact that no one is willing to do anything about it. 🌟 1. The Colour- Complex / Colourism 🙅🏽 I think we’ve all been a victim of this one since, literally, BIRTH. We see it happening all the time on television; having a darker skin tone is considered unfortunate and we are constantly SLAMMED with remedies to “fix” it. If only society realized that what they’re implying is that you need to be “white” to fit some Eurocentric beauty standard that dehumanizes people who don’t fit into that standard or category. It make me so mad seeing people who preach Islam suddenly obsessing over white skin. It's as if they're completely blind-sighted from the fact that there is no discrimination between skin tones; but unfortunately this is the world we live in. 💫 2. Perceiving other castes and ethnicities as “inferior” ✊🏻✊🏼✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿 We are a witness to this on the daily. Every Islamic sect, if not openly then subtly, disrespects and talks down the other and the same goes for all the different ethnic groups. People don’t realize what a significant form of racism this is, towards your own countrymen. Opinions shouldn't interfere with the way we treat people. Their belief or culture isn't affecting you in anyway. How can you bring change? By educating your children and the people around you about the fact that it doesn't matter whether they're Sindhi, Punjabi, Balochi, Pathan, Mahajir, Sunni, Shia, Muslim, Sikh, Christian or literally anything else. Before anything they're human. No sect is above or below the other. Unfortunately people have a lot of learning to do on this one but until it doesn't stop, racism will always be prevalent. ⭐️ 3. OFFENSIVE SLURS!! ✊🏿✊🏿✊🏿✊🏿 Yes, the N-word is extremely offensive, so is the P-word to Pakistanis (has a negative intention behind it), and the C-word to Chinese. Stop saying them. However many people don't understand why the N-word is so offensive so in simple words here’s why; The word is sensitive to people from an African-American descent as it evolved from the word, “negro”, during the times of slavery and colonialism but has now evolved to a word with a purposeful derogatory intention. These slurs may not mean much to you, but to those who grew up being ridiculed with these words, it hurts, so just don't contribute to the hurt; if your friends use them and slightly brush it off saying, "who cares bro", tell them to say it to the decades of slavery and oppression that whole GENERATIONS of black people went through. ✨ 4. Staying silent on ethnic "cleansing" killings 🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️ So it’s either you speak up against them, or you stay silent. Your silence speaks louder than you think it does. We’ve seen various hate crimes taking place against all kinds of ethnic and religious groups and minorities. The media rarely portrays how serious of an issue this is. Change will come from within us. When we eradicate fear that stems from false assumptions. When we let go of things such as blaming an ENTIRE GROUP on the fault of one. When we learn to treat each other as one. How can you as an individual be the change you want to see? SPEAK UP. Every time you see injustice say something! Your voice is much louder and more impactful than you think it is. ☀️ 5. Appropriation of culture 🤷🏽♀️🙅🏽 The actual definition of cultural appropriation is when an individual belonging to one culture adopts the fashion, iconography, trends, or styles from another culture. It is basically a play on a stereotype that leads to the mistreatment or a misunderstanding of a group of people. However it is extremely controversial; some things act as symbols to ethnic groups and thus should not be taken lightly, for example; we’ll put our hair in cornrows, or dreadlocks; dress up as a geisha or a gypsy on Halloween, or put a bindi on our forehead on a special occasion. However the argument lies in the fact that these items are symbolic to specific cultures and should not be thrown around or used for clout, in respect for the culture itself. As another example, the appropriation of black culture is wrong. At the time of colonization and slavery, black people would constantly be told that their natural hair was “unclean”; they even made it mandatory by law for slaves to cover their hair, namely the “Tignon Laws”. Basically for our generation, culture is considered ghetto UNTIL proven trendy. ⚡️ 6. Harmful stereotypes 👸🏾🙅🏽🙅🏽 Ah, stereotyping. We’ve all done it. Consciously, or even unconsciously; It basically refers to the generalised belief regarding one specific culture or ethnic group; but here’s a subtle reminder, don’t judge the actions of an entire RACE, based on the mistake of one person. Black people are not thugs; Mexicans aren’t criminals, All Asians don’t “look the same”; Muslims aren’t terrorists; and the list goes on. Perceiving black skin as dangerous, and white as not, is a symptom of internalised racism. Associating a specific culture with just one belief is wrong in so many ways. We love calling out other communities but when someone does it to us we're easily offended. Why? because we KNOW stereotyping is wrong yet we won't stop doing it. STOP THIS GENERALISED BELIEF SYSTEM and educate yourself and others around you. 🌈 7. Misunderstandings regarding white supremacy 🤷🏽♀️🤦🏻♀️ For starters, what is white supremacy? To sum it up, it is the following beliefs. 1) Whites should have dominance over people of other backgrounds, especially where they may co-exist 2) Whites should live by themselves in a whites-only society 3) White people have their own "culture" that is superior to other cultures; 4) White people are genetically superior to other people. The amount of people in Pakistan, whom I’ve seen atleast, that “look up” to white people is embarrassing. They’re not looking up to them for inspiration, they want to LITERALLY be them. They believe that all white people are destined for success. However this couldn’t be further from the truth. The colour of your skin, your race, your ethnicity, should not define your path to success neither should it halter it. Eurocentric beauty standards have caused us to believe that people with white skin are far superior than people of colour. Unfortunately this exists on a much larger scale than just a few people; educational institutions, governments, media, and western science all tend to portray the white race as the “ideal” top of the hierarchy. 💫💫 8. Representation in the media 🙅🏽🙅🏽 Our media representation regarding, virtually everything, is beyond an exaggeration. They portray what they want us to see, and cover up whatever they don’t. We barely ever see sympathy for minorities, or unlawful murder; there is no accountability for hate crimes. When it comes to the film industry we RARELY see actors/actresses with darker skin playing lead roles; there are countless cases where actresses and actors have mentioned that they were rejected from playing a role based on the colour of their skin or their descent. How many advertisements have we seen, in which a dark skinned individual encounters failure after failure, just because of the colour of their skin? And then one day as if by some miracle they stumble across a whitening product and then ONLY are acceptable by society. I mean the fact that we have a whole BRAND called "fair and lovely" sums up my entire point. Call out colourism and racist advertisement when you see it. Be the change you want to see in society. ✨✨ 9. Unconsciously contributing to white privilege 🤦🏻♀️✊🏿🤷🏽♀️ What is white privilege? It's literally as simple as it sounds; being let off easy because you're white. White privilege is not the assumption that everything a white person has accomplished is unearned; most white people who have reached a high level of success worked extremely hard to get there. Instead, white privilege should be viewed as a built-in advantage, separate from one’s level of income or effort. Now the problem is we believe in white privilege. We agree with the fact that white skin is far superior and sophisticated than any other. The mere idea that you should be applauded or hated for for something you were born with is outrageous because you have absolutely no control over it. What keeps the cycle on repeat is the fact that legislative bodies, corporate leaders and educators are still predominantly white, which turns white privilege into an unbroken chain. ✨ Growing up, I never really understood what the root of all these problems were but i think I do now; we must change our mindset and treat every person as an equal, not based on what they look like, but on who they are. We must do better. 🖤🖤🖤 References https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/fall-2018/what-is-white-privilege-really https://www.adl.org/resources/glossary-terms/white-supremacy |
AuthorHave you ever, like me, felt the need to speak about paramount issues constantly being brought up across the globe? If so, you've come to the right place! Archives
July 2021
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