Reflection Paper on Field Notes from a Catastrophe
Reflection of Field Notes from a Catastrophe
Elizabeth Kolbert’s Field Notes from a Catastrophe was my first in-depth look into climate change, global warming, and the contribution of humans to these things. Global warming was something I vaguely knew about before reading this book, but it never really caught my attention or seemed like a major issue in the world. After reading Field Notes from a Catastrophe, I realized that it is in fact a major issue that must be addressed by every community. In this essay I will argue that it is our job as the human race to do all that we can to take care of our planet and reduce the amount of global warming that humans are responsible for. This essay is significant because this is our world. Global warming may not be something that has a significant impact on our lives, but whether it is our grandchildren or great grandchildren, there will be consequences eventually for the human race and the other species that we share this planet with. While reading Kolbert’s book, there were a few chapters that stood out to me and got me thinking more in-depth about global warming in general. In chapter 4, Kolbert goes into details with a couple of scientists on the affects of global warming on a species of toad, several species of butterflies, and a species of mosquitoes. The golden toad was a bright, tangerine colored toad that could be found in the Monteverde Cloud Forest in north-central Costa Rica. This species of toad spends a majority of its life underground, only emerging above ground to reproduce. Once males mate with a female, she lays her eggs in small puddles that usually are no more than one inch deep. It only takes a few days for the tadpoles to emerge from the eggs, but it then requires four or five more weeks for metamorphosis to complete. During this whole period, the eggs and tadpoles are extremely dependant on the weather. Too much rain would wash them down the steep hillside, and too little rain would
Elizabeth Kolbert’s Field Notes from a Catastrophe was my first in-depth look into climate change, global warming, and the contribution of humans to these things. Global warming was something I vaguely knew about before reading this book, but it never really caught my attention or seemed like a major issue in the world. After reading Field Notes from a Catastrophe, I realized that it is in fact a major issue that must be addressed by every community. In this essay I will argue that it is our job as the human race to do all that we can to take care of our planet and reduce the amount of global warming that humans are responsible for. This essay is significant because this is our world. Global warming may not be something that has a significant impact on our lives, but whether it is our grandchildren or great grandchildren, there will be consequences eventually for the human race and the other species that we share this planet with. While reading Kolbert’s book, there were a few chapters that stood out to me and got me thinking more in-depth about global warming in general. In chapter 4, Kolbert goes into details with a couple of scientists on the affects of global warming on a species of toad, several species of butterflies, and a species of mosquitoes. The golden toad was a bright, tangerine colored toad that could be found in the Monteverde Cloud Forest in north-central Costa Rica. This species of toad spends a majority of its life underground, only emerging above ground to reproduce. Once males mate with a female, she lays her eggs in small puddles that usually are no more than one inch deep. It only takes a few days for the tadpoles to emerge from the eggs, but it then requires four or five more weeks for metamorphosis to complete. During this whole period, the eggs and tadpoles are extremely dependant on the weather. Too much rain would wash them down the steep hillside, and too little rain would