When we think of climate change, our concerns focus on our future. The effect global warming will have on us. And while it’s important to maintain our attention on the effects of global warming like rising sea levels and droughts, we often forget another important victim of climate change; animals.
As of last summer – now termed ‘Black Summer’ by some outlets – Australia has experienced its worst bushfire season in history. Over 2400 homes were lost, 81% of the Blue Mountains Heritage Area burned, 80% of people were affected by fire and smoke, and 800 million animals perished in New South Wales alone. This led to further environmental damage as it was estimated that the bushfires pumped between 650 million and 1.2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide into the air.
The 2019 Sydney University Student Anthology was launched on March 6th by children's editor and audiobook producer, Radhiah Chowdhury. It was a great night and Radhiah delivered an inspiring and fascinating speech on diversity in publishing, discussing some of the issues that have arisen in publishing since the start of 2020, where diversity has been a key factor. We've reproduced that speech here for you.