Students at Long Beach City College are studying the effects of climate change, many of which California is already experiencing, including heat waves, wildfires and rising sea levels.
In the course “BIO 11 – Environmental Problems of Man” students are introduced to the reality of an uncertain future as they discuss plastics in the ocean, pesticides present in the food chain, and the availability of fresh drinking water.
Class discussions revolve around the interconnectedness of biological life cycles.
The course looks at not only one aspect of environmental pollution, such as how plastic affects marine life, but it also takes a look at the production of the plastic, and the emissions produced in transportation.
“When talking about climate change, we can’t just talk about one thing,” said LBCC professor Elizabeth Nash, who teaches the course.
“We must understand that scientifically speaking, everything is connected. Climate change will affect poor people the worst, but everyone will be affected,” she said.
The course discusses environmental disparities on which communities are affected most by pollution.
The term “environmental racism” is used to describe how the burden of environmental pollution tends to affect low income people and especially communities of color.
Students of the class expressed some of their concerns. One student mentioned that they lived near local sources of air pollution, by a freeway near the ports. Another student mentioned how communities are affected by asthma from the pollution emitted by boats and cars.
The class agreed that they believed society will need to make major changes in a short amount of time to effectively deal with climate change.
“Society can’t be so capitalistic if we are going to survive,” said Said Pena, whose comment evoked support from classmates.
“It’s up to our generation to take actions both in community and in politics,” said Christopher Varela as the class discussed how climate change begins at a local level.
Discussions around equity, human population, consumption of resources are often pitted against the goal of keeping global temperatures stable. According to the professor, her goal is to ensure that students develop an understanding of how issues around the environment are interrelated, economics, social progress, equity are heavily connected to the effects humanity has on the environment.