climatephile

[climatephile]

5.1 Future Climate Pathway

I’ve learned a lot through the semester about the ways different professions and industries come together to address the climate crisis. After C&S, I have a new outlook on my career path. I will continue my work in the energy industry but seek ways to improve partnerships and stakeholder engagement in driving sustainable solutions. I will also look for ways to be involved outside of work such as applying the lessons learned and wisdom from our journalist speakers and seeking out more indigenous voices via podcasts, social media, and media in general.

Through this class and the program at large I have realized not only that I appreciate journalistic freedom in writing (i.e., not just business writing for a job) and that I love doing that type of work. I will seek to use the new perspectives introduced to write more often. One thing that really stuck with me is the tension in climate scientists sharing their work. I will seek to ensure that climate scientists' perspectives are not generalized and seek to report on scientists and labs that have not been highlighted before.

[climatephile]

4.17 Reflections

This week was my favorite applications seminar thus far. Chenae Bullock, a Shinnecock Nation Tribal citizen, spoke about her identity as a life-sustaining woman, steward of land, and person passionate about mental health. She discussed how the ancient lands of America flourished and how change has been wrought by governmental regulations that damage the land. Further, the damage of land brought upon the damage of human health. She brought elements of nature to the classroom and discussed how interacting with nature is an action of love. I appreciated her perspective on connection to nature and that she brought nature to the Forum to share with us. I also appreciated the conversation on the ‘circularity’ aspect of ecological interaction.

Thinking about adaptation, it can be done justly only via co-productions. In many cases, local indigenous communities must be included in adaptation. Bullock emphasized this point by discussing the ancient wisdom she has learned and shared related to respectful interaction with nature rather than exploitation of it. Further, decisions must be made by groups that include members of all communities that may be impacted. During the q&a session, the speakers discussed providing the opportunity for individuals to share their own narratives and making sure that the voices that should be heard are invited to spaces to share their experiences. To do this, in many cases, changes need to be made at the governmental level to recognize and incorporate Indigenous voices in policy and solution making.

[climatephile]

4.10 Reflections

Working in the urban space is unique because ‘urban’ encapsulates so many different aspects of the climate conversation and solution development. Urban spaces have high populations and  existing vulnerabilities outside of environmental concerns that need to be considered and addressed in all work looking to make positive impacts. Christian Braneon from Carbon Direct elucidated this concept by discussing how his work with scientists includes discussions related to race, culture, and respect. Working in urban spaces means impacting a lot of people with programs/policies etc. and the work seems to reflect the additional layers of cost and benefit analyses. I also appreciated Angelica Greco’s (ICLEI) discussion on resilience in cities. She also touched on the importance of work with the community on work that will impact communities. Equity and adaptation planning are key aspects of all urban work. While these assessments are important in all aspects of c limate work, in the urban space there are many layers of vulnerabilities and associated risks. 

[climatephile]

4.3 Reflections

I expected to learn more about geoengineering itself today. Instead, the concepts of humor as a real tool to drive change and collaboration needed to drive progress.The class focussed on how people do (or do not) work together to implement solutions. In many cases, the people shared similar thoughts, rants, and reactions to climate concepts. However, when it came down to creating a ‘global agreement’ on the use or non-use of geoengineering no one could agree. The ‘rich’ group was much most willing to invest with geo-engineering. The ‘poorest’ was the least willing, but also lacked the resources necessary to do so. My group was risk-adverse and we chose to either let someone else do it or not do it at all to preserve current resources. As Mr. Suarez commented, our demonstration was a strong reflection of the real world. Diplomatic conversations were few and uncertainty was very high. The world needs to be collaborative in its approach to geoengineering governance at the regional and global levels.

[climatephile]

3.27 Reflections

I appreciated hearing a few case studies today that made me think about how climate data can best be translated and integrated into climate data into policy and decision making. Astrid Caldas made me think about the role us as Climate School students have both inside and outside of our fields of work or academic communities. In the case of broad policy, we must make sure that work we do or encounter is presented effectively to target audiences. For broad policy making, data must be digestible and made with an intent to inform to help drive relevant policy. It also made me think about how we in the climate field should spread accurate (and interesting!) climate science to the people around us , be it friends or family. Doing so may allow it to spread even further to channels that may have power to affect policy, publish media, or make an impact in other ways. I’ve been thinking a lot about the responsibility we carry in spreading climate science from discussions earlier in this class and others, and Astrid only reaffirmed how vital this work is. Climate researchers can’t be the only people trying to translate and integrate climate data.

I found Andrew’s discussion of the 2015 Malawi case study informative as well. Climate science is vital! The data must be specific, and able to be applied in a helpful manner. Too much data or unhelpful data can hinder actionable and timely solutions. We need to be able to forecast potential disasters and changing conditions. But, equally important, that data must be able to be applied. Further, knowing that we need to prioritize a region or resource doesn’t help very much  if collectively there aren’t resources to translate the science or manage the efforts to manage solutions. The science helps drive appropriate and availability of resources like funding for disaster efforts, but appropriately and effectively managing those resources is also vital. This case study was a great example of how climate data can be used to form particular decisions. 

When it comes to climate or climate-related solutions, I think the general public often hyper-focuses on the ‘science’. This preoccupation does a disservice to that science since comparatively less people are thinking or focusing on how to apply that data. In reality, I think technology and research are advancing at a much faster pace than management or adaptation.  As we re-enter the field, I think this is an aspect of climate solutions we must look to address.  

[climatephile]

3.20 Reflections

I work in the private sector for an energy service company. We partner with financiers to fund projects such that clients (often government agencies) can implement renewable energy and energy efficiency projects at no upfront cost. This mechanism (in the industry, guaranteed performance contracting) makes projects that reduce building emissions very low or no out-of-pocket costs (project costs are repaid via the savings the measures generate which are guaranteed at the risk of companies like mine). When I started this job, I was very optimistic about what I thought was a novel industry and financing mechanism. In reality, these projects have been completed for a few decades already. They are just not well-known outside of the industry. 

The discussion of wealth moving to millennials was of particular interest for me. Specifically, I think knowing that millennials as a generation are more willing to invest in sustainability makes me optimistic about the future of my sector. From my experience, I think the biggest bottleneck in progress (defined by net-zero and resilient buildings) is a lack of awareness of the mechanism and ability to implement such projects. If millennials, who are more interested in sustainability and willing to listen to pitches related to such, are making decisions for companies and investments, I think a lot of progress could be made. While this makes me optimistic, I also wonder about the speed of solutions. While millennials are aging up, will they be able to leverage their influence in time to make changes to reduce emissions?

[climatephile]

3.7 Climate Zine

[climatephile]

2.27 Reflections

Science has already done its work when it comes to climate change. I know it is my responsibility to be one of the communicators furthering the movement. I appreciated learning about how to tell stories – not how to write papers or work in a group. Focusing on creativity, human connection, and storytelling might only land more of an impact and create resonance internally and externally. In showing someone a climate risk, I would want to focus on climate risks I feel most connected to because that will be the best story I can tell.

My ‘origin’ story of interest in climate change, as far as I can remember, is centered around protecting the environment and the creatures that live in and with it. As a young kid, I was enthralled by animal encyclopedias and in awe of nature. That developed into a passion for protecting the rainforest. As I learned more about climate change and its impacts, I was equally passionate about protecting the people currently facing climate disasters. And even further, leveraging climate solutions to correct ongoing injustices and revitalize failing systems. Though my understanding of climate impacts have expanded since preschool, I also know that everything is connected.

The climate story that I would tell is one that focuses on people affected by climate disasters but incorporates other aspects like extinction of plants and animals. I think this could be applicable for the increased fires in the American west that induce blackouts and are causing ecological damage. In terms of art styles, I think my strengths are in the writing medium. So, I would look to write about the topic. I wish I spent more time writing creatively, and might look to leverage short stories that both call attention to the risks but also present a way to ‘imagine’ that reality for those who don’t already experience it. Talking about imagination capacity as a key tool in building reality perceptions is novel to me but makes so much sense. I want to do work in that field.

[climatephile]

2.20 Reflections

In some other classes recently and via Applications this week it has become even more clear that most problems in the environmental field are also environmental justice problems either in their roots or in their effects. It was impactful to learn about the progress happening at the international scale and equally impactful to learn about the work being done at much more local scales. In both instances, it is obvious that the work is challenging, intersectional, and a bit nebulous to move from the ‘big idea’ to implementation phase. 

With my experience in the energy industry, I know it can be difficult when a lot of work leads to (what feels like) little results. In my case, I am lucky to see tangible impacts to GHG emissions, but I sometimes feel disconnected from the work in the sense that people aren’t being positively impacted at a local or immediate scale. As climate disasters continue to plague parts of the US (where my company works), I think it is both feasible and necessary to try to expand the work into communities that need it most. A ‘big idea’ I am working on is how to use creative financing and available grants to enhance energy security and resilience in areas most affected by blackouts. I believe I can begin to navigate this through the structure of my company to get a program started, but will then want to work with the people affected to understand their needs and what can be done. I will use the soft skills and motivation from the speakers this week to push progress and attempt to make an impact on a big problem.

[climatephile]

2.13 Reflections

I learned a lot about journalism today. Previously, the industry was a bit mystified. Though I knew writers could freelance, and that I am interested, I have no journalism experience and would not have known where or how to start. Learning about what makes an efficient pitch was helpful. I also hadn’t considered many of the differences between radio and print reporting. I had never previously considered a path in radio, but I really like the concept of consistent, passive listeners and the ability to bring information to people who aren’t expecting any specific angle or topic.

And though it was not new, I liked hearing about some of the realities of journalism from what happens after an article is published to how to make the work feel less transactional or ‘extractive’. I also appreciated the notion that you should always follow your interests and that’s you never know where what you learn along the way can take you. 

Climate stories that can cross political barriers are most interesting to me because I think they are critical. As a reader, I like to see longer, in-depth case studies and appreciate the use of maps/visual data analysis. But, I am most interested in the stories that I think will help people understand the reality of climate change because I think that impact is greater than my own interest. I’m passionate about this cause and deeply want support to grow. So, those stories resonate more.

[climatephile]

2.6 Reflections

It was really interesting to see all of the ways people have applied the Climate and Society degree. It is very cool to see how people can take such different paths and each be doing something so necessary to combatting the climate crisis. It was also cool to see that the future doesn’t have to mean just one path or one measure at any given time. I really appreciated learning about Manishka and Fransha’s paths in particular. In Manishka’s case, I liked hearing about how I can personally apply the degree in different ways, and work on varied types of projects and causes in the future (rather than following one narrow path). I am also interested in continuing education but wasn’t sure exactly what I would want to study. I previously thought that PhD programs were not really interdisciplinary, and appreciated hearing that they can be and how that is critical in the current climate.

[climatephile]

1.30 Reflections

overall themes:

Politicization of science and scientization of politics. 

^ is a double edged sword. If scientists advocate, the science is put in question. If scientists don’t advocate, the science is still put into question.

Everything is advocacy / anything can be advocacy. Anyone can be an advocate. At the end of the day, everyone is an advocate. 

Scientists are not a collective. Composed of real individual people.

We explored what responsible advocacy can be, and what advocacy is. Advocacy is not limited to a discipline, or a set of actions, or a set of mediums. We live in an era where anyone can be an advocate, and their reach is greater than ever. Not only are we advocates to the people we speak to, we are advocates to anyone who follows us whether actively or passively. Attention is a currency, and we live in an age where attention is accessible. If everything is advocacy, how can we hold ourselves accountable to be better advocates? Is silence unethical? Immoral? 

But what exactly can the role of scientists be in climate change advocacy? Is there an inherent difference between science and advocacy? Do scientists not advocate for the research they conduct? If they, the creators and authors and testers and analyzers don’t, who will? Who can? And how can we hold media accountable in responsibly sharing science and addressing scientists (as individuals and teams, not as a nebulous collective)?

A narrative I want to explore more is the pressure and tension scientists face in having their work shared with larger audiences. To spread the science to broad audiences, they must be relevant. To be relevant to the public, they must be responsible for work that is of great interest. Or, the science must be controversial enough to gain traction. Does that diminish the credibility of the science? Does it have to? I don’t think it necessarily does, but it is a risk. 

[climatephile]

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