These Zines are Assisting United States Imagine a Better Future for Climate and Society
There is no shortage of catastrophe narratives around the climate crisis. The western U.S. remains in a dire megadrought thats straining water systems and resulting in out-of-control wildfires. The back-to-back typhoons that hit Central America in 2020– following years of dry spell– have actually resulted in food insecurity.
These and other impacts will likely only intensify in the coming years without a overall and fast overhaul of the energy system and the global economy. Theres a wide gap in between understanding whatever should alter and implementing those modifications. Creativity can help bridge that space.
Before graduating previously this year, students in the 2020-2021 class of Columbia Universitys MA in Climate and Society program worked to build a bridge. As part of Applications in Climate and Society, one of the programs core classes, they spent the spring term producing zines that imagine the world really getting on track by 2030 to restrict worldwide warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
” We didnt desire to do a term paper or a conventional last project– no shade to call papers,” Brian Kahn, a co-instructor for the course stated. “Zines offer a chance to break from the mold of traditional scholastic thinking and unlock new methods of picturing the future. More than anything, we require those new futures to be tangible to the general public.”
This years zines show a wide variety of interests, futures, and approaches to storytelling. From a dream to a toolkit to a kidss book to a festival, the choices of this years class are a testament to all the various paths to a new future in front of us.
Celebration for the Future, by Max Elling, Maddie Healy, Emily OHara, and Jordan Welnetz
Green New Zine, by Sal Brzozowski, Abby Meola, Nick Pelaccio, and Katy Wilson
The New York: A Toolkit From 2030, by Courtney Jiggetts, Sanketa Kadam, and Sheri Kusatzky
Influenced by Dreams, by Michael Ascari, Toni Gagliardi, James Kahn, and Jordan Pares-Kane
The Traveling CO2 Molecule, by Chunyu Liu, Muhajir Lesure, Hiroaki Morikawa, Rhiannon Stephens, and Jess Wang
This story was initially released by the MA in Climate and Society program in September..
Prior to finishing earlier this year, students in the 2020-2021 class of Columbia Universitys MA in Climate and Society program worked to build a bridge. As part of Applications in Climate and Society, one of the programs core classes, they spent the spring term developing zines that picture the world actually getting on track by 2030 to restrict global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. “Zines offer a possibility to break from the mold of traditional academic thinking and unlock brand-new methods of picturing the future. More than anything, we require those new futures to be concrete to the public.”
