ZEKE Fall 2019

With the sea levels expected
to rise between 10 and 32
inches or higher by the end of
this century, more and more
coastal communities are on
the brink of living in limbo.
According to the Internal
Displacement Monitoring
Centre in Geneva, Switzerland, 18.8 million
disaster-related displacements happened
in 2017. And while such displacements
are linked to natural disasters, the worsening
global warming could be the root
cause. The World Bank also estimates that
by 2050, 143 million people from Latin
America, Southeast Asia, and Sub-Saharan
Africa alone would be forced to migrate due
to climate crisis.
Sean Gallagher’s exhibit, Tuvalu:
Beneath the Rising Tide shows the expanse
of this South Pacific nation island — how the
seas are slowly consuming the land and the
impact of strong water surges on the dwellings
of 11,200 Tuvaluans. Lauren Owens
Lambert’s Along the Waters Edge shows
what melting ice in places like Antarctica
does to regions like New England. While
her exhibit, The Farmer and the
Fishermen, displays how coastal communities
adapt and change livelihoods. Michael
O. Snyder, with his exhibit Eroding Edges,
infuses emotions into still images showcasing
the everyday lives of people in the US —
how rising tides bring out hope, innovative
solutions, and the human grit to keep pushing
forward.
Photo by Lauren Owens Lambert
The farming crew of Merry Oysters handpick
and load the boat during low tide on
Duxbury Bay, Massachusetts in July. Scientists
say ocean water has grown 30 percent more
acidic since the Industrial Revolution and is
on track to get worse in coming decades as
it soaks up excess carbon dioxide from air.
Although climate change poses challenges
such as ocean acidification and increasing
coastal storm intensity, the shellfish industry in
Massachusetts is one of the fastest growing
in the state. Shellfish such as oysters, scallops
and mussels are not only a good source for
local food, but because they are filter feeders,
they also help clean the ocean.
Not a subscriber? Click here to receive the print version of ZEKE.
ZEKE APRIL FALL 2019/ 2015/ 27