Climate-change images sought, and isles show it

The Earth Day Network has launched a project called "The Face of Climate Change." The nonprofit group, founded by the organizers of the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, is inviting people throughout the world to contribute their own images of "climate change."

The images submitted so far include the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in Cuba. But there are also images of the positive steps people are taking to combat climate change, such as a tree-planting campaign in Sri Lanka.

The idea is to offer tangible, visual images of climate change’s many faces to replace what many still think of as some remote and abstract concept.

Climate change affects us — humans and animals alike — everywhere.

Here in Hawaii, it means rising air temperatures, decreased rainfall and ocean acidification.

Sea levels have been rising for at least a century in Hawaii, according to Charles Fletcher, associate dean and professor of geology and geophysics at the University of Hawaii’s School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology.

Fletcher, author of the textbook "Climate Change: What the Science Tells Us," published by Wiley in January, said, "Our climate is changing now in rapid and dangerous ways. But by and large, we are not teaching the current generation of students about the reality of this phenomenon. Without this knowledge, our ability to manage the impacts of a changing climate is limited."

The textbook expands on a chapter on climate change Fletcher originally contributed to "The Value of Hawaii: Knowing the Past, Shaping the Future" (2010), with a strong emphasis on peer-reviewed scientific literature.

"Global warming threatens the entire planet," he said. "We’re already seeing dramatic changes in drought, in dangerous weather and sea-level rise threatening coastal communities, and this is just the beginning."

The first communities to be affected are isolated, like Hawaii.

Agriculture, real estate and tourism would all be affected, according to the 2012 Pacific Island Regional Climate Assessment report released by the East-West Center in December.

Sea-level rise and storms contribute to beach erosion, which we see much of on our isles. With less rainfall, less groundwater flows to Hawaii streams, and acidic oceans, over time, damage coral reefs.

"If we don’t do something extremely soon about the production of carbon in the atmosphere and release of greenhouse gases, we’re committing ourselves, our children and grandchildren, to a world that’s vastly different than it is today," Fletcher said. "It’s going to be dangerous."

To take action, visit act.earthday.org. To participate in "The Face of Climate Change," go to www.earthday.org/2013.

Nina Wu writes about environmental issues. Reach her at nwu@staradvertiser.com.