The Climate Crisis
Oral Communication Practice
"While people in northern latitudes may ring in the New Year in relative wintry comfort, many in the Southern Hemisphere are suffering a stark reminder of a climate crisis." Watch the video and respond to the questions below.
1. What is one of the main points of the above video?
2. Have you ever experienced the impacts of the climate crisis?
RESPONSES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
Chai Nian Kun, 42, farmer from Singapore
“Growing these vegetables year-round was almost no problem in the past when Singapore’s weather wasn’t so hot . . . But now it’s different . . . Whether there is good yield or not is up to the weather. And now, we never know what the weather will give us.”
Alice Wong, 48, writer and disability activist from California
On how the disable community tends to be overlooked in the fight for environmentalism:
“Plastic is seen as cheap, “anti-luxury,” wasteful, and harmful to the environment. All true. Plastic is also an essential part of my health and wellness. With my neuromuscular disability, plastic straws are necessary tools for my hydration and nutrition.”
Raeann Heng, 28, founder of Cheeky Feys, a sustainable clothing store for kids
“I used to think that mass produced items are cheaper because they are made by machines. But did you know they are actually produced by workers who rush through five pieces an hour at sweatshops, usually in very bad conditions? If you know why it is so cheap, would you still buy it?”
