Climate change is a global event that will– in one way or another– affect every single person on this planet. But not equally.  Those who are less able to respond to change (i.e., those who live in systems of oppression with low socioeconomic mobility) will be affected most by climate change. The world’s poor, the … Continue reading Women’s Rights are Human Rights

We humbly ask permission from all our relatives; our elders, our families, our children, the winged and the insects, the four-legged, the swimmers and all the plant and animal nations, to speak. Our Mother has cried out to us. She is in pain. We are called to answer her cries. Msit No’Kmaq – All my … Continue reading Indigenous Women’s Rights

After all of this discussion of women’s rights and how the UNFCCC responds to gender-just climate action leading up to the conference, it’s time to finally ask: What actually happened at COP23? Latina.com To begin, it was clear that women’s rights advocates were inserting themselves into the daily dialogue. The calendar was full of panels, … Continue reading So… What Happened?

This past Monday, my seminar classes met with Professor Lance Gunderson, a chair of the Emory Environmental Sciences Department. In addition to his career as a professor, Dr. Gunderson has additionally worked with the National Parks Service as a botanist for the Everglades, after receiving his PhD from the University of Florida. As a former … Continue reading The Anthropocene Scene

To even the biggest of policy geeks, it can be difficult to tackle and understand the fine print of the hundreds of decisions put out by the UNFCCC. Leading up to the Gender Action Plan created at this year’s COP23, there have been many attempts by smaller bodies to try and get women’s rights on the … Continue reading UNFCCC Decisions Made Simple

“We are here not as victims, but as survivors.” These words and so many other impactful ones echoed through the halls of the COP23 conference this month in Bonn, Germany. While climate change action was the topic up for debate, women’s rights organizations like WEDO and the Women and Gender Constituency showed that not only … Continue reading Women are the Solution

On Monday, I joined in a discussion with Dr. Tom Rogers from Emory University’s History department, covering the topic of environmental history, particularly in the context of the history of deforestation in São Paolo, Brazil. From his opening image of “the forest” that is now completely bare due to sugar cane production to his closing … Continue reading A Discussion with Dr. Tom Rogers

“The heart decides and the head justifies.” On the one year anniversary of Donald Trump’s presidential appointment, it seemed only fitting to talk with a former Republican representative about climate change. In a world so divided and filled with “fake news,” it is more crucial than ever to engage in critical conversations about political beliefs, … Continue reading Conservative Climate Change?

If you ask any environmental scientist who her role model is, I promise you will hear one name over and over again: Dr. Jane Goodall. The same can be said for my role model, of course. Growing up, no one inspired me more than the fearless young woman who befriended the chimpanzees in my books. … Continue reading Dr. Goodall and Dr. Gillespie

Last Wednesday, our class simulated a mock U.N. Climate Change Conference simulation. Acquiring “delegates” from the United States, the EU, China, India, Developed Nations, and Developing Nations, our class successfully participated in global conversations about Climate Change. With three other students, I joined the category “U.S. Cities.” Within our group, I represented New Orleans, while … Continue reading 2.3 to 2.0