I honored to attend a lecture by Dr. J. Marshall Shephard, distinguished professor and director of the atmospheric sciences program at the University of Georgia, former President of the American Meteorological Society as well as host of The Weather Channel’s Sunday show Weather Geeks. It was fitting his lecture had a drawing and relatable title …

Continue reading An Afternoon with Marshall Shephard–Communicating Climate to the Public

I attended a very exciting lecture on Monday, November 6, at the Rollins School of Public Health, where former South Carolina Congressman Bob Inglis spoke to us about an initiative of his. Though climate change continues to be a polarizing issue in this country, only associated with the left, Inglis is advocating for conservatives to …

Continue reading RepublicEn–A Partisan Way to Unite America on Climate Change

The Mock UN Climate Change Negotiations simulation we did last week was definitely eye-opening. It is one thing to passively read or learn about COP and that over 190 countries signed the Paris agreement, but it didn’t hit me actually how significant of an achievement—even if it is non-binding—that is, given how many actors are involved. …

Continue reading Reflection: Mock UN Negotiations experience

The European Union (EU) is a leader among developed countries in combating climate change. With the United States withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, the EU has stepped up as the model for developed countries. Germany, the largest economic power in the EU and fourth largest in the world, is the most influential country within the …

Continue reading Synopsis: Germany and the EU are the leaders in Climate Negotiations

Group Members: Zola Berger-Schmitz, Katelyn Boisvert, Matthew Heldman, and Olivia Keck Research Question: What drives the disconnect between climate awareness and the belief that human actions need to be taken to combat the climate crisis both at the individual and the country-wide level? While climate change is becoming more publically recognized worldwide, action steps being …

Continue reading Midterm Project: Climate Change Perception Tipping Pount Podcast

Interviewer: Matthew Heldman Interviewee: Wes Longhofer Narrator: Olivia Keck   Questions we asked during the interview: what is “environmental sociology”? how does it play into people recognizing climate change as something that their country should take action on? What do you know about risk perception? A 2015 Pew Research Study on Global Concern for Climate …

Continue reading Midterm Project update

A Category 4 hurricane striking Houston. A Category 5 hurricane approaching Florida. A wildfire in Los Angeles. These natural disasters have engulfed news headlines all within the past ten days. They all serve as evidence that as the climate continues to warm, natural disasters will occur more frequently and with greater severity. But even with …

Continue reading Unintended Bias and Climate Change

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/true-north/2017/jul/17/neoliberalism-has-conned-us-into-fighting-climate-change-as-individuals While I do not fully agree with what Martin Lukacs wrote in his July Guardian blog post, “Neoliberalism Has Conned Us into Fighting Climate Change as Individuals,” Lukacs uses multiple techniques to effectively captivate his audience. These techniques reduce the formality of his writing and allow the reader to connect with the author more easily. …

Continue reading Reflection on Engaging Blog Posts