It’s so kind of you to read these comics! As of January, they’ve been going for five years, the product of support from the National Science Foundation and International Ocean Discovery Program, and the Waypoint Foundation.  Writing and drawing about climate change science, policy, and activism in this format is sometimes sobering, sometimes cheering, and always engrossing.  As we start 2023, I’m bright-eyed and bushy-tailed with optimism, so this post is a look back at some of the hopeful comics in the last five years. 

 

2018 A Waypoint residency in the Florida Keys let me visit Mote Marine Lab scientist Dave Vaughn, who showed me how he’s growing coral. 

 

 

2019 In Penzance, England,  I found a letter parents sent in support of their kids’ absence from school for School Strike Fridays. 

 

 

2020 Pride in Polar Research, a program to increase the visibility and inclusion of LGBTQ people in polar science, suggested leadership principles for everyone. 

 

 

2021 The Green City Force promotes life skills in food production ad sustainability for New York City teens. 

 

 

2022  A reef that was dying becomes a symbol of hope and renewal.  

 

 

May you find your own renewals and hope in 2023! 

 

–Karen Romano Young is a writer, artist, deep-sea diver, and polar explorer. Follow her on Twitter & Instagram.