1.6˚ in 2024: What Now?
If you’re anything like me, seeing in mid-January that the world reached 1.6˚C above pre-industrial temperatures in 2024 felt like the latest gut punch in a series of ongoing climate losses.
Wildfires have burned parts of L.A. to the ground in a matter of seconds, & yet the divide between those who understand climate change & those who refuse to accept it remains steadfast.
So…what’s next for those of us who actually grasp the overwhelming urgency of this issue?
CREATIVE MEDIATION
To make tangible progress in this sector, one thing in particular needs to be addressed: the politicization of science. Two distinct groups have emerged from this shift in perspective, & it seems that science itself often becomes an afterthought in cross-group conversations.
This separation has amplified the need for a neutral mediator, one that can begin dismantling the impassable divide between both sides. One that can elevate our commonalities over our differences. One that can remind us of the immense influence behind collective action.
Here’s the good news: art possesses all of these qualities. Visual work encapsulates a multitude of experiences & emotions simultaneously, drawing on each viewer’s background to create individualized meaning. It’s this personal appeal, this sense of “being seen,” that will be crucial to transforming climate discourse & de-escalating feelings of hostility.
Understanding how & why our climate is changing is the first step — but the motivation for individual action depends on seeing how your own life connects to the changes taking place.
KJS/STUDIO IN 2025
Among other things, I’m learning to see beauty in the constant evolution of my artistic perspective. Our environment is more volatile than ever, but this only clarifies the need to make sustainability a universal priority.
Throughout 2025, KJS/Studio will continue to be a platform for talking boldly about our choices & influence as individuals, regardless of overarching societal structures. My brand has always centered around optimism — not because I’m delusional, but because I know that true progress will never stem from despair. I will be decisive in transforming the old & the ordinary, whether that means using upcycled materials or placing everyday objects in an unexpected context.
Individual action alone cannot solve the climate crisis, but the collective action we need is built from a multitude of individual decisions. As Hannah Ritchie shares in the final pages of her book Not the End of the World,
“The problems we’re facing are tightly interconnected. The worry is that this gives us impossible trade-offs; we’ll be forced to prioritize one problem at the expense of another. But it isn’t the case; instead, these interdependencies mean we can solve a lot in one go. Move to renewable or nuclear energy to improve air pollution and climate change; eat less beef to improve climate, deforestation, land use, biodiversity and water pollution. Improve crop yields to benefit the climate and humans.” (291)
The challenges we face now are not the end of the world, but rather the end of an age where we could still rationalize putting sustainability on the back burner. Our ability to change & our need to change are both at an all-time high — become overwhelmed by the latter & we will retreat into the comfort of our ingrained habits. But if we learn to hold both of these realities simultaneously, we might just realize that it leads to a better life than we’d ever imagined.
KATHARINE SHUMAN + KJS/STUDIO LLC
