Imagine [music] we're in space looking down at this planet we call home. It's breathtaking. Now look closer.Visualize a multicolored film cloaking its surface. To the untrained eye, it's alluring. But really, it's an insidious cocktail of fossil fuels and petrochemicals.Simply put, plastic becoming the earth, becoming us. You see, plastic doesn't break down. It just breaks apart into micro and nanoplastics.And we're finding it where it doesn't belong. In 2022, on an expedition to Antarctica, I witnessed fir ...

Environmental Crisis & Artistic Interpretation - The art piece "Self-Portrait Moving Out" by Julie Heffernan conveys the serious consequences of the environmental crisis [3][4] - The painting uses surreal elements to invite viewers to investigate environmental awareness beyond superficial beauty [5] - The artwork depicts humanity's pervasive impact on the natural world, suggesting a takeover rather than a harmonious coexistence [6][7] - The painting symbolizes the earth's collapse due to human impact, with a vulture representing impending destruction [8] - Submerged towns and displaced women in the painting illustrate the human cost of climate change [9][10] Call to Action & Reflection - The artwork prompts reflection on humanity's role as stewards of the earth and the impact of environmental neglect on global communities [11][12] - Art can inspire action on environmental issues like recycling, water conservation, and renewable energy [13] - The title "Self-Portrait Moving Out" encourages viewers to see themselves as contributors to the earth's degradation and the displacement caused by the environmental crisis [15][16] - The piece serves as a call to action, urging viewers to respond to the earth's plea for help [16]

[Applause] I want everyone to think about their happy place. And their happy place is somewhere on this planet that when you think about it, you get shivers up your arm, up your neck. When you go there, you feel at peace, you feel calm, you feel connected, you feel at home.I think we all have somewhere on this planet that's our happy place. My happy place is always going to be where I grew up on the west coast of Canada. There we have trees older than most countries.We have bears and moose prowling through ...