By Lilly Lin Photography by Lilly Lin Originally published at The Colloquium on November 4, 2022 Why have we continued to fail to enact impactful and much-needed climate action and change? What are the hurdles that obstruct us from achieving global targets? International organizations such as the United Nations have held Climate Change Conferences each year since 1997. In 2015 the Paris Agreement was signed by 195 states and the European Union to collectively achieve “net zero emissions” by 2050, and aim to keep global warming to 1.5℃. But the 2022 Emissions Gap Report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) found that current policies “point to a 2.8℃ temperature rise by the end of the century.” It believes that a further 45% cut is needed to get on track to the 1.5℃ goal. Despite policies to shift globally to greener energy, select countries and corporations resist completely phasing out fossil fuels. Developing countries rich in oil, gas, and coal are keen on the economic growth provided by these resources, and feel unfairly penalized by the push to rapidly transition away from them. A report from campaigners at this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 27) “warned that oil and gas companies are planning production expansion that would result in 115bn tonnes of CO2 being pumped out.” Closer to home in British Columbia, four of its communities are under Drought Response Level 5—the highest response level—as of November 10th. EmergencyInfoBCclassifies this as “exceptionally dry and adverse” conditions where “impacts to socio-economic or ecosystem values are almost certain.” This comes a year after BC experienced heavy flooding in parts of south-western British Columbia. Mudslides damaged and closed highways, and numerous towns and districts including Merritt, Abbotsford and Okanagan-Similkameen were under evacuation orders due to rising water levels. While the challenges and impacts of climate change continue...

By Keiko Honda, Ph.D., MPH   What is the value in learning to draw portraits? This question goes, unexpectedly, to the heart of the shared roots of art and science. In this essay, I aim to fertilize the soil for growing a new dialogue on the role emotional engagement plays in the relationship between art and science. I have recently been watching YouTube videos on portraiture. It is fascinating to watch master artists create portraits out of a blank sheet of paper, with only a pencil or stick of charcoal. If done well, the artists can explore their own feelings about the human condition. I always wonder how these artists acquired their skills. “Open your feeling, Open your senses! The first step is the conversation,” says a passionate YouTube artist who teaches portraiture. At the instant he is rhythmically drawing a large, very loose shape on a blank sheet of paper, he exclaims, “This [his arm movement] is emotional engagement.” Right there, I paused the YouTube video I was watching and replayed that part again and again. There was some dissonance between what I heard and what I saw. I did not expect to harvest deep insight when watching a rudimentary shape being drawn on a large black sheet of paper by the artist I chanced upon on the Internet. What is he talking about? The YouTube artist explains, “Enjoy drawing. Rather than rushing into getting drawings done quickly, you need to take your time to know how to see and understand how abstract elements work together to create an art form,” Simultaneously glancing at his live model, he continues, “No need to do the proportions yet…… When you are working on composition, it is very important at the beginning to open your feeling...

By Eileen Chen Photo courtesy of Pille Bunnell *Permission to reprint granted by the Vancouver Arts Colloquium Society What does an intersection between poetry and science mean? Does it relate to poems that talk about science or scientists that speak in verse? These were the questions that plagued me when I was preparing an interview with Dr. Pille Bunnell – an ecologist and cyberneticist – to discuss the topic of integrating poetry and science, as well as her experiences and fields of study. Before diving into discussions of what systems ecology and cybernetics are, I had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Bunnell relate a beautifully personal tale. In the year 2002, Dr. Bunnell attended a course at the University of Tartu during a visit to her mother country, Estonia, which she left as a refugee when only eight months old. There, she joined a field trip to an ancient raised bog, where the peat moss had built up several meters above the surrounding area. It was a chilly November day, with a smatter of snow on the ground. After receiving a bog-walking lesson, she had a chance to explore the ancient landscape herself. Pausing to look around, she was suddenly overcome with a striking sense of awe and familiarity: “I am home!” The emotional intensity of this experience was evident, even when retelling her story. After long reflection on that impactful experience, Dr. Bunnell came to the conclusion that language links people with their ancestry through its connection with the land. I was surprised to see language brought into the equation like this, but through Dr. Bunnell’s explanation of how the grammar, intonation, and flow of language arises from how people relate within the landscapes they live in, I eventually became convinced. To apply...