Throughout history, species last for roughly 3 million
years and mankind (the most intelligent) will struggle to reach even half as
long as that.
The basis of my FMP research has
derived from a past project revolving around the overpopulation of the Earth
and the problems that go alongside such a global issue. Within this project I
was lead to many alternative outcomes should the right people choose to take action
to tackle the negative future that would be awaiting mankind, which is not such
a difficult task. The future of overpopulation seems to be calming down, as
education, contraceptives and healthcare become more accessible to poorer
countries. However, there are still multiple factors that are going to affect
the future of the human race should they not be addressed at this present time.
Yet we are arrogant, ignorant and choose to ignore our responsibilities for the
future of our home. I chose to call this research project “The Placebo Effect”
because we seem to be taking a daily pill that makes us unaware and uncaring
about our actions. If everyone on the planet made a change to their lifestyle
then perhaps we could slow down the negative toll we are making on the Earth
and our protective OZONE layer; but as a majority we are not making enough
effort, but how can we, what would be enough?
Placebo:
·
a
medicine or procedure prescribed for the psychological benefit to the patient
rather than for any physiological effect.
·
a substance
that has no therapeutic effect, used as a control in testing new drugs.
·
a measure
designed merely to humour or placate someone.
We take a pill (Placebo) when we want
to be rid of pain, or escape from a concern. More often than not we will be
relieved of that pain which is bothering us, but without knowing the medication
is a placebo, if you believe that once you have consumed the medication you
will feel better, placebo or not you will actually feel better. Presume all
drugs are false and have no real affect on relieving us of our concern; this
shows the power in the belief of medicine. However, I want to look at the
Placebo’s we take everyday to escape our responsibilities. We are shrugging off the heavy weight of
preserving the future for as long as we can, through arrogance and ignorance;
for they seem to be the greatest placebo’s we all take. Do we really believe
that like a placebo, these issues of climate change will go away themselves? The
situation is very serious and cannot be ignored.
The purpose for my research is to
understand how the human race will become extinct. Shockingly we are doing very
little to take this question seriously; what have we done to our home, planet
Earth? Climate change has been affecting the planet for decades already and of
course it is only becoming worse. The ice caps are melting away causing the sea
level to rise, the weather becoming even more abnormal every year, changes to
the ecosystem, forcing many species to move to higher latitudes and higher
altitudes where temperatures are better for their chances of survival.
Our oceans are becoming more acidic due to the emissions of carbon dioxide from
modern society and therefore affect sea-life and growth. This all affects our
food supplies as crop yields are likely to increase at higher latitudes under
some scenarios of a global average temperature increase and depending on the
crop. Thus at lower latitudes, especially the seasonally dry tropics crop
yields are likely to fall. Thus the increased frequency of both droughts and
floods is expected to adversely affect agricultural production.
Within 1000 years
the Earth will have exhausted its resources and no longer be habitable for
humanity. With greater climate change, our species will become overcrowded and
underfed, but we are already on the path to exhausting our planets supplies;
making it possible for our existence to be wiped out with one final push, be it
war, famine or suffocation from the lack of oxygen.
If
I intend to continue further research into the subject of climate change and
the fate of mankind, I would have to separate all key points and analyse those
which are most beneficial and of factual use for my final major project. As it
stands I believe the current topic to be very broad and it must be condensed
into a more straightforward means of communication with my target
audience. I am aware that over months of
development this project will change and take an alternative step to the
process I have in mind at this current time, but with extending this topic, I
intend to design a website/workplace where likeminded people or those
interested in making a difference can congregate together and gather useful and
influential feedback from various resources of information that can then come
together to produce an outcome. Through communicating with people of my
generation I am interested to hear their opinions on the current situation of
the planet. As every generation succeeds the next, they enter a world that is
becoming more polluted by the day. It would be an interesting study to compare a
selection of generations to produce statistics, ideas and outcomes to form
valid research on what the general modern day public think of climate change
and just how much we are all aware of as a large number.
I
aim to produce animations supported by motion graphics to display my research
and findings within this project. At a later point within the FMP I would like
to create an interactive data installation; this would test how much people
know about the environment and climate change as a shock tactic or it would be
to purely educate, as alarming people would just create a negative “placebo”
approach again, which is what I want to break. Either a data producing
installation or a pop – up cinema in the FMP gallery is preferable when it
comes to the final hand-in. My current aim is to produce data that shows
positive development for this project, whilst breaking this “placebo effect”
the general public seem to have around the worldwide threat of climate change
and the human race’s extinction. It cannot be ignored by the majority any
further.
Powerpoint Presentation
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