WEBVTT - Katharine Hayhoe: Climate Scientist 0:00:04.680 --> 0:00:06.680 But if we can talk about climate change, what else 0:00:06.760 --> 0:00:08.920 might we be able to talk about? And here's how 0:00:08.960 --> 0:00:13.160 we do it. Rather than beginning by dumping scary facts 0:00:13.200 --> 0:00:16.680 on people, or by arguing, or by focusing on what 0:00:16.720 --> 0:00:20.079 we disagree on, we need to begin our conversations with 0:00:20.160 --> 0:00:23.000 something that we agree on. And if we don't know 0:00:23.120 --> 0:00:26.279 what we agree with somebody on, then ask the questions 0:00:26.360 --> 0:00:29.320 and learn about what matters to them until we figure 0:00:29.320 --> 0:00:31.840 out where we could possibly find a point of connection. 0:00:32.600 --> 0:00:36.080 Then connect the dots to how climate change affects what 0:00:36.120 --> 0:00:42.280 we both care about. That was Catherine Hayjo, a climate 0:00:42.320 --> 0:00:45.360 scientist who was on a mission to save the planet, 0:00:45.840 --> 0:00:48.440 and she says that we can do that by having 0:00:48.600 --> 0:00:53.320 honest conversations with each other. I'm a land Revere. This 0:00:53.479 --> 0:00:57.200 is Seneca's one Women to Hear. We are bringing you 0:00:57.320 --> 0:01:01.320 one hundred of the world's most inspiring and history making 0:01:01.360 --> 0:01:06.959 women you need to hear. Katherine Hahoe refuses to give 0:01:07.000 --> 0:01:12.280 into despair about the climate crisis. She's chief scientist for 0:01:12.319 --> 0:01:18.120 the Natured Conservancy and a professor at Texas Tech. Her 0:01:18.160 --> 0:01:22.679 message about the need for communications seems to be getting across. 0:01:22.680 --> 0:01:26.120 She gave a TED talk about climate change that has 0:01:26.160 --> 0:01:31.760 been viewed more than four million times. In September, she 0:01:31.920 --> 0:01:36.640 published her latest book. It's called Saving Us, a Climate 0:01:36.760 --> 0:01:40.560 Scientist's Case, Her hope and healing in a divided world, 0:01:41.280 --> 0:01:45.679 and it's one praise from everyone from Margaret Atwood to 0:01:45.840 --> 0:01:52.360 Scientific American Listen and learn why Katherine Hahoe is one 0:01:52.400 --> 0:02:00.520 of Seneca's one hundred Women to hear. I I'm speaking 0:02:00.560 --> 0:02:04.120 today with Katherine hajo and we're so delighted to have 0:02:04.280 --> 0:02:09.960 this climate scientist with us. Catherine, you've done amazing work 0:02:10.040 --> 0:02:13.760 in terms of the climate issue, the existential threat of 0:02:13.760 --> 0:02:18.359 our time. You're the chief scientists for the Nature Conservancy, 0:02:18.440 --> 0:02:21.160 and you teach at Texas Tech, so that's quite a bit. 0:02:21.600 --> 0:02:24.799 And you were recently at the Climate Summit in Glasgow, 0:02:24.960 --> 0:02:28.800 and as someone who knows the subject so well, so deeply, 0:02:29.320 --> 0:02:31.760 I wonder how you would sum up the state of 0:02:31.800 --> 0:02:35.080 the world in terms of the climate threat today. Well, 0:02:35.200 --> 0:02:38.560 from the perspective of the science, it is not too 0:02:38.680 --> 0:02:42.400 cheerful because we know, in fact, we've known since the 0:02:42.520 --> 0:02:46.639 eighteen hundreds that digging up and burning coal and gas 0:02:46.680 --> 0:02:49.640 and oil produces heat trapping gases that are building up 0:02:49.639 --> 0:02:52.240 in the atmosphere, wrapping an extra blanket around the planet. 0:02:53.320 --> 0:02:57.160 We as scientists were so concerned about the potential impacts 0:02:57.200 --> 0:03:01.080 on humans on our society that scientists took the unprecedented 0:03:01.120 --> 0:03:05.040 step of formally warning a US president about the dangers 0:03:05.080 --> 0:03:09.440 of climate change in nineteen sixty five. And we have 0:03:09.600 --> 0:03:13.320 produced more than two thirds of our commulative carbon emissions 0:03:13.400 --> 0:03:17.079 since that warning occurred. So in terms of the science, 0:03:17.240 --> 0:03:21.280 we truly are in a dire situation where every action matters, 0:03:21.320 --> 0:03:25.720 every year matters, every ton of carbon matters. But what 0:03:25.880 --> 0:03:30.200 gave me hope in Glasgow was seeing all of the 0:03:30.200 --> 0:03:33.200 people who were there. For so long, climate change has 0:03:33.240 --> 0:03:36.120 been perceived as a niche issue, one that matters to 0:03:36.480 --> 0:03:40.840 climate scientists and environmentalists but not to everybody else. But 0:03:40.920 --> 0:03:43.800 the reality is climate change is a human issue, and 0:03:43.880 --> 0:03:46.440 no matter what we love, who we love, or where 0:03:46.480 --> 0:03:49.880 we love, all of these are already being affected by 0:03:49.880 --> 0:03:52.520 climate change today. And so what gave me so much 0:03:52.560 --> 0:03:56.240 hope in Glasgow was seeing the tens of thousands of 0:03:56.280 --> 0:04:00.800 people there from every walk of life, from industry for nonprofit, 0:04:01.080 --> 0:04:08.040 young old, from academia, theologians, um, religious leaders, negotiators, policy experts, 0:04:08.280 --> 0:04:12.760 medical professionals, everyone you can imagine was there because they 0:04:12.800 --> 0:04:15.600 understood that climate change is in everything issue and in 0:04:15.760 --> 0:04:18.240 everyone issue, and you know, in order to want to 0:04:18.279 --> 0:04:19.880 fix it, we only have to be one thing, and 0:04:19.880 --> 0:04:22.520 that is quite literally just a human being living on 0:04:22.560 --> 0:04:26.040 planet Earth. Oh that's so well said. I think one 0:04:26.040 --> 0:04:30.200 of the reasons that climate is an uncomfortable discussion at times, 0:04:30.320 --> 0:04:32.800 or their engagement hasn't been what it needed to have 0:04:32.960 --> 0:04:35.920 been and clearly needs to be ramped up, is that 0:04:36.160 --> 0:04:40.600 when scientists talk, it seems remote from everybody else. And 0:04:40.760 --> 0:04:43.080 you just gave a Ted talk not too long ago 0:04:43.120 --> 0:04:46.640 that's already had four million viewers, and you said in 0:04:46.640 --> 0:04:49.200 the talk that the single best thing we can do 0:04:49.320 --> 0:04:52.400 to fight climate change is to talk about it. So 0:04:52.560 --> 0:04:55.640 explain what you mean by that, particularly since for many 0:04:55.720 --> 0:04:58.680 people it seems like not an accessible topic or a 0:04:58.680 --> 0:05:02.680 controversial topic. So it's very interesting because when we look 0:05:02.760 --> 0:05:05.760 at the data, it turns out that seventy percent of 0:05:05.800 --> 0:05:09.560 people in the United States are already worried about climate change. 0:05:09.920 --> 0:05:12.080 Those numbers are greater in other countries like my home 0:05:12.080 --> 0:05:15.839 country of candidates, about the same in the UK, greater 0:05:15.960 --> 0:05:18.960 in the EU. So most people are already worried, and 0:05:19.000 --> 0:05:21.000 in fact, here in the US, when you ask people 0:05:21.040 --> 0:05:24.000 who are mothers if they're worried, eight three percent of 0:05:24.040 --> 0:05:28.719 moms are worried about climate change. Young people, the biggest 0:05:28.720 --> 0:05:31.560 problem we have. The biggest gap we have is not 0:05:31.680 --> 0:05:33.560 between the people who say it's real and the people 0:05:33.600 --> 0:05:36.080 who say it isn't, even though the people who say 0:05:36.080 --> 0:05:39.359 it isn't are certainly very loud. The biggest gap we 0:05:39.440 --> 0:05:42.440 have is between people who say it's real and people 0:05:42.440 --> 0:05:46.040 who are activated. Because it turns out only a fraction 0:05:46.160 --> 0:05:50.160 of us are actually actively engaged in doing something about this. 0:05:50.520 --> 0:05:53.920 How do we close that gap? The catalyst to action 0:05:54.400 --> 0:05:56.800 is when we use our voice to connect with others, 0:05:56.800 --> 0:05:59.800 to say what could we do as a family, What 0:06:00.040 --> 0:06:02.200 could we do as a school, What could we do 0:06:02.279 --> 0:06:04.400 as a business or a place of work. What can 0:06:04.440 --> 0:06:06.640 we do as a neighborhood or a city or a state. 0:06:07.480 --> 0:06:09.920 The catalyst to every single one of those actions is 0:06:09.920 --> 0:06:12.640 when we talk about why it matters and what we 0:06:12.760 --> 0:06:17.000 might be able to do together to help to fix it. So, 0:06:17.120 --> 0:06:22.200 how do we talk persuasively uh to those even though 0:06:22.240 --> 0:06:25.080 their numbers and it may not be enormous, who still 0:06:25.120 --> 0:06:30.400 are very skeptical, or to those who worry about jobs 0:06:30.960 --> 0:06:35.560 in terms of fossil fuels and the kinds of worrisome 0:06:35.680 --> 0:06:38.680 emissions that are a big part of the problem. How 0:06:38.680 --> 0:06:42.279 do we talk to well those as well as everybody 0:06:42.360 --> 0:06:45.560 else in a way that is very compelling. I think 0:06:45.600 --> 0:06:50.000 there's really a simple formula to having positive, constructive conversations, 0:06:50.560 --> 0:06:54.200 even about something as contentious as climate change. You know, 0:06:54.279 --> 0:06:56.800 here in the US over the last decade or more, 0:06:56.880 --> 0:06:58.799 climate change has been at the top of the list 0:06:58.920 --> 0:07:01.760 of the most politically slarized issues in the country. But 0:07:01.839 --> 0:07:03.920 if we can talk about climate change, what else might 0:07:03.960 --> 0:07:06.080 we be able to talk about? And here's how we 0:07:06.120 --> 0:07:10.760 do it. Rather than beginning by dumping scary facts on people, 0:07:11.360 --> 0:07:14.760 or by arguing, or by focusing on what we disagree on, 0:07:15.320 --> 0:07:17.760 we need to begin our conversations with something that we 0:07:17.800 --> 0:07:20.760 agree on. And if we don't know what we agree 0:07:20.800 --> 0:07:24.080 with somebody on, then ask them questions and learn about 0:07:24.160 --> 0:07:27.320 what matters to them, who, what, where they love, what 0:07:27.440 --> 0:07:31.440 their concerns are, what concerns inform their positions, Until we 0:07:31.520 --> 0:07:34.320 figure out where we could possibly find a point of connection. 0:07:35.120 --> 0:07:38.560 Then connect the dots to how climate change affects what 0:07:38.600 --> 0:07:42.720 we both care about and how climate solutions are consistent 0:07:42.800 --> 0:07:45.840 with the values that we have. But how we begin 0:07:45.960 --> 0:07:48.680 that conversation is important. And I want to say one 0:07:48.760 --> 0:07:51.720 cautionary thing, which is often people immediately say, oh, well, 0:07:51.760 --> 0:07:53.280 that's great. I'm going to run off and I'm going 0:07:53.360 --> 0:07:56.080 to have a conversation with the most dismissive person I know, 0:07:56.840 --> 0:08:00.400 my relative, my neighbor, my colleague, who's all he's saying, 0:08:00.400 --> 0:08:03.000 it isn't real, it's just a hoax. Finally I have them, 0:08:03.480 --> 0:08:07.360 you know, the solution to show them how they're wrong. Well, 0:08:07.520 --> 0:08:10.480 here's the bad news. The bad news is is that 0:08:10.520 --> 0:08:13.880 for people who are truly dismissive, who have built their 0:08:14.000 --> 0:08:18.320 identity on rejecting the reality of this problem, not because 0:08:18.360 --> 0:08:20.680 they truly have a problem with basic physics. If they did, 0:08:20.680 --> 0:08:23.680 they'd also reject the reality of stoves, bridges, and airplanes. 0:08:24.440 --> 0:08:28.080 But they rejected because they don't think there's any solutions 0:08:28.120 --> 0:08:31.160 that are compatible or consistent with their values. So for 0:08:31.200 --> 0:08:33.760 the seven percent of people in the United States who 0:08:33.760 --> 0:08:36.560 are the very loud dismissives who bring this issue up 0:08:36.600 --> 0:08:39.320 all the time to pooh pooh it, it is not 0:08:39.640 --> 0:08:42.480 possible to have a constructive conversation with them because they 0:08:42.520 --> 0:08:47.880 can't listen. But here's the good news of us are 0:08:47.920 --> 0:08:51.000 not dismissive, and in fact, people often say, well, why 0:08:51.080 --> 0:08:53.040 bother talking to the rest of the people If you 0:08:53.040 --> 0:08:55.960 know we already think the same way. You might think 0:08:56.040 --> 0:08:57.560 you think the same way, but how do you know 0:08:57.600 --> 0:08:59.839 if you don't talk about it. And even if you 0:09:00.000 --> 0:09:02.000 who think the same way, the chances are they're not 0:09:02.080 --> 0:09:05.920 activated because most people aren't. The vast majority of people 0:09:06.080 --> 0:09:09.199 who are worried about climate change are doing nothing about 0:09:09.200 --> 0:09:11.840 it because they don't know what to do. And that's 0:09:11.880 --> 0:09:15.680 where our conversations come in. Bond over shared values, connect 0:09:15.720 --> 0:09:18.319 the dots to how climate change affect us here and 0:09:18.440 --> 0:09:21.280 now in ways that are relevant to us, and then 0:09:21.320 --> 0:09:23.720 talk about what we could do together to help make 0:09:23.720 --> 0:09:28.800 a difference. Every action counts. That's certainly very well said. 0:09:29.480 --> 0:09:32.960 You mentioned values, and I know that you have brought 0:09:33.000 --> 0:09:37.520 the dimension of faith into your communications with others on 0:09:37.559 --> 0:09:41.040 this issue. How does religion tie into your message and 0:09:41.120 --> 0:09:45.000 climate change? Well, it ties right into step number one, 0:09:45.360 --> 0:09:49.360 which is beginning a conversation by bonding over shared values. 0:09:49.800 --> 0:09:52.680 So in my book Saving Us, I encourage people to 0:09:53.040 --> 0:09:57.240 do a personal inventory, who are you, who do you love, 0:09:57.280 --> 0:09:59.920 what do you love, where do you love? And think 0:10:00.080 --> 0:10:02.200 of those as ways that you can start to connect 0:10:02.240 --> 0:10:05.720 with other people. So my personal inventory is first of all, 0:10:05.800 --> 0:10:09.120 I am a scientist, so I can definitely connect with 0:10:09.160 --> 0:10:11.440 people who really like science, and a lot of people 0:10:11.480 --> 0:10:14.960 are very curious about science. But I am also a mother, 0:10:15.640 --> 0:10:18.560 so I can talk to other parents about our kids 0:10:18.640 --> 0:10:20.680 in their future and the air they're breathing and their 0:10:20.679 --> 0:10:24.360 health and how climate change affects that. I love skiing, 0:10:24.840 --> 0:10:29.000 and you need snow in order to ski, so that 0:10:29.120 --> 0:10:31.600 might sound trivial, but that is important and close to 0:10:31.640 --> 0:10:35.680 my heart. Um. I am Canadian, so I can talk 0:10:35.720 --> 0:10:39.240 to other Canadians about what's happening in our country. I 0:10:39.320 --> 0:10:42.400 live in Texas, which is the most vulnerable state in 0:10:42.440 --> 0:10:46.720 the US too increasingly severe climate and weather disasters as 0:10:46.720 --> 0:10:49.360 climate change loads the weather dice against us, so I 0:10:49.400 --> 0:10:52.240 can definitely talk about that with other people here in Texas. 0:10:52.520 --> 0:10:54.880 And I am a Christian, so I can talk with 0:10:54.960 --> 0:10:57.679 other people who share my faith about how if we 0:10:57.760 --> 0:11:00.200 truly take our faith seriously. And this is true not 0:11:00.240 --> 0:11:03.400 just for Christianity but for every major world religion that 0:11:03.480 --> 0:11:07.200 has concepts of stewardship or caring for nature or creation 0:11:07.320 --> 0:11:11.840 or other living things, and just as importantly, caring for 0:11:11.840 --> 0:11:14.960 the poorest and most vulnerable and most marginalized among us, 0:11:14.960 --> 0:11:17.760 our sisters and our brothers less fortunate than us. If 0:11:17.760 --> 0:11:20.319 we truly take our faith seriously, we would be out 0:11:20.360 --> 0:11:23.240 at the front of the line demanding climate action. So 0:11:23.400 --> 0:11:26.200 that's my inventory, and I would encourage everybody sort of 0:11:26.200 --> 0:11:28.840 do your inventory. Are you a gardener, Do you love 0:11:28.880 --> 0:11:32.080 beer or wine? Do you like beaches or traveling? Um? 0:11:32.120 --> 0:11:35.280 Do you enjoy hiking or birding or kayaking? Um? Do 0:11:35.440 --> 0:11:39.240 you you know? Are you concerned about national security or 0:11:39.280 --> 0:11:41.960 about a stable economy? Or are you a farmer or 0:11:41.960 --> 0:11:45.280 a rancher? There's every all that. My goodness, there's a 0:11:45.320 --> 0:11:47.800 million points of connection in our human life to how 0:11:47.840 --> 0:11:51.280 climate change affects us and to how climate solutions can 0:11:51.280 --> 0:11:54.760 truly benefit us. You know, you talked about the fact 0:11:54.800 --> 0:11:57.800 that lots of people are very, very worried and that 0:11:57.960 --> 0:12:02.040 the great majority about climate change. But the gap comes 0:12:02.200 --> 0:12:05.360 with what we're going to do about it as individuals. 0:12:05.800 --> 0:12:08.880 And I wonder what are some of those things that 0:12:08.920 --> 0:12:13.000 are listeners? For example, could be doing to address climate change, 0:12:13.000 --> 0:12:16.360 but don't feel they have the competency, or don't feel 0:12:16.400 --> 0:12:19.559 they're part of an organization where that can be easily done. 0:12:19.880 --> 0:12:23.600 Give us some simple ideas about what kinds of things 0:12:23.760 --> 0:12:27.240 individuals can do or families can do. I would love 0:12:27.280 --> 0:12:29.840 to do that. Uh So this is actually what I 0:12:29.880 --> 0:12:32.760 started asking myself because as a climate scientist, I study 0:12:32.840 --> 0:12:35.080 this issue, but I also want to make a difference. 0:12:35.080 --> 0:12:37.280 So I thought, well, what could I do? So the 0:12:37.360 --> 0:12:39.320 first thing I did is probably the most obvious thing 0:12:39.360 --> 0:12:42.439 for many people. I decided, I'm going to use a 0:12:42.480 --> 0:12:45.320 carbon calculator, and there's a really good one called the 0:12:45.320 --> 0:12:48.960 cool Carbon Calculator from Berkeley to figure out what our 0:12:49.000 --> 0:12:52.560 family's personal carbon footprint is, and I'm going to do 0:12:52.679 --> 0:12:55.320 everything I can to reduce it. In fact, every year 0:12:55.480 --> 0:12:59.480 I still take on two new habits that reduce my 0:12:59.640 --> 0:13:03.000 use of energy or fossil fuels or transition to clean energy. 0:13:03.480 --> 0:13:05.679 Habits that make a difference in my personal life and 0:13:05.720 --> 0:13:09.320 my family's life, like reducing food waste, getting rid of 0:13:09.320 --> 0:13:12.200 the extra freezer, changing the type of food we eat 0:13:12.200 --> 0:13:15.520 to eat less meat, especially red meat, um, hanging up 0:13:15.520 --> 0:13:17.760 the clothes to dry getting a plug in car. Solar 0:13:17.800 --> 0:13:22.320 panels have significantly reducing my travel. But here's the thing. 0:13:23.080 --> 0:13:26.840 As a scientist, I calculated that even if all of 0:13:26.920 --> 0:13:29.480 us who are worried about climate change did everything we 0:13:29.600 --> 0:13:33.440 could in our current economy, which is heavily skewed in 0:13:33.520 --> 0:13:36.600 favor of using fossil fuels, if we did everything we 0:13:36.640 --> 0:13:39.680 could to cut our personal missions, that wouldn't even be 0:13:40.720 --> 0:13:43.680 of the pie. So I figured there's got to be 0:13:43.760 --> 0:13:47.200 something more we can do, and I realized it isn't 0:13:47.280 --> 0:13:52.040 only about our footprint, it's also about our shadow. Our 0:13:52.120 --> 0:13:55.480 shadow is the way we interact with others. And when 0:13:55.520 --> 0:13:58.000 you look at how the world has changed in the past, 0:13:59.000 --> 0:14:02.280 how civil rights were enacted, how women got the vote, 0:14:03.160 --> 0:14:07.120 how did our society change, it wasn't because the president 0:14:07.120 --> 0:14:08.880 woke up one morning and decided, I really need to 0:14:08.880 --> 0:14:12.760 give those women the vote. But rather, it was because many, many, 0:14:12.840 --> 0:14:15.679 many other people, people who originally were you know, of 0:14:15.679 --> 0:14:19.480 no particular fame or renown. They decided, no, the world 0:14:19.560 --> 0:14:22.080 really does need to be different, and they used their 0:14:22.160 --> 0:14:25.760 voice to advocate for change at every level. When we 0:14:25.800 --> 0:14:29.120 look at how change is happening with corporations like Microsoft, 0:14:29.640 --> 0:14:32.440 it's because employees who worked there used their voice to say, 0:14:32.480 --> 0:14:34.600 you know what we could do better. When you look 0:14:34.640 --> 0:14:36.480 at cities like the city of Houston that have a 0:14:36.520 --> 0:14:40.120 climate action plan and they're meeting their Paris targets, they 0:14:40.160 --> 0:14:42.800 decided to change because there's many people in that city 0:14:42.840 --> 0:14:46.720 who were using their voices to say, we need climate action. 0:14:47.200 --> 0:14:49.640 When we look anywhere around the world wherever we see 0:14:49.680 --> 0:14:52.320 amazing things happening, and we start to look around the world, 0:14:52.360 --> 0:14:55.520 there are amazing things happening everywhere, even right here in 0:14:55.560 --> 0:15:00.080 Texas where I live, the common denominator the catalyst to 0:15:00.160 --> 0:15:03.760 that action is when people use their voice to say, 0:15:04.000 --> 0:15:07.360 here's why it matters to us here and now. Not 0:15:07.360 --> 0:15:10.360 not tons of science about antarctic or polar bears, but 0:15:10.400 --> 0:15:13.280 look look at Texas. We just had three five year 0:15:13.320 --> 0:15:15.880 flood events in three years. We need to do something 0:15:15.880 --> 0:15:18.920 about that. And then talked about what we can do, like, 0:15:18.960 --> 0:15:22.440 for example, we already get almost a quarter of our 0:15:22.480 --> 0:15:25.840 electricity and Texas from clean energy. How could we make 0:15:25.880 --> 0:15:27.680 sure that we're getting some of that for our school 0:15:27.800 --> 0:15:30.520 or a place of work or our city. So there's 0:15:30.560 --> 0:15:32.360 so many things we can do, but it all begins 0:15:32.400 --> 0:15:35.200 with having that conversation. So again, that's why I did 0:15:35.200 --> 0:15:36.800 my TED talk and that's why I wrote my book 0:15:36.840 --> 0:15:40.120 Saving Us, because the number one question I get from 0:15:40.160 --> 0:15:43.480 people these days almost every day is what gives you hope? 0:15:44.200 --> 0:15:46.640 And the answer to that is when we act, hope 0:15:46.680 --> 0:15:49.120 is all around us. And the second question I get 0:15:49.160 --> 0:15:52.040 is how do you have a conversation like this with somebody? 0:15:52.080 --> 0:15:54.000 And that's what I wrote the book about. And my 0:15:54.080 --> 0:15:56.240 favorite thing is to hear from people who said, Okay, 0:15:56.280 --> 0:15:59.560 I gave it a try, and it actually surprised me 0:15:59.600 --> 0:16:01.360 at went a better than I thought. I've talked to 0:16:01.400 --> 0:16:04.320 my mom about this already ten times and it went awfully. 0:16:04.360 --> 0:16:07.000 But we finally had a breakthrough. I'm not going to 0:16:07.120 --> 0:16:09.440 say that, you know, we're getting solar panels tomorrow, but 0:16:09.520 --> 0:16:11.320 we were able to find the connect and I was 0:16:11.360 --> 0:16:13.120 able to listen to her concerns and she was a 0:16:13.160 --> 0:16:14.800 little bit more open to what I had to say. 0:16:15.280 --> 0:16:17.440 So it truly does make a difference when we have 0:16:17.520 --> 0:16:21.320 these conversations, again, not dumping the science on people, but 0:16:21.400 --> 0:16:25.480 really focusing on having that conversation as a catalyst to 0:16:25.600 --> 0:16:31.800 talking about what we can do together. Senecas one hundred 0:16:31.800 --> 0:16:34.320 women to hear we'll be back after the short break. 0:16:44.640 --> 0:16:48.920 You're providing a sense of movement, bringing lots of people 0:16:48.960 --> 0:16:52.800 together to demand this kind of attention to the problem. 0:16:52.840 --> 0:16:57.240 I think is something that is growing but has been 0:16:57.360 --> 0:17:00.840 lacking on this issue, unlike some other issue as you mentioned. 0:17:01.520 --> 0:17:05.680 And I think to that end, people think and there 0:17:05.720 --> 0:17:08.960 has to be big systemic changes in many ways, but 0:17:09.119 --> 0:17:13.680 they can affect bringing those changes. Is that not right? Oh? 0:17:13.760 --> 0:17:18.680 I completely agree. So people often argue do we need 0:17:18.760 --> 0:17:22.119 individual action or do we need system wide change? And 0:17:22.160 --> 0:17:26.080 my answer to that is yes, because what is the 0:17:26.160 --> 0:17:29.520 system made up of other than people? And how do 0:17:29.640 --> 0:17:32.960 systems change other than when people engage in those systems? 0:17:33.200 --> 0:17:36.280 And how do we engage again by using our voice 0:17:36.320 --> 0:17:39.119 and of course sometimes using our voices literally talking, but 0:17:39.200 --> 0:17:43.080 sometimes it's writing, Sometimes it's posting on social media. Sometimes 0:17:43.080 --> 0:17:45.479 it's just doing something where someone else can see us 0:17:45.520 --> 0:17:48.040 doing it. There is a myriad of ways to use 0:17:48.080 --> 0:17:52.600 our voice to engage in the system to catalyze change. 0:17:53.119 --> 0:17:57.040 Let's talk about women in particular. You know so many 0:17:57.080 --> 0:18:02.119 times women seem sidelined or marginalized in the climate change 0:18:02.400 --> 0:18:06.960 solutions camp. Uh, and yet they are so important to 0:18:07.000 --> 0:18:11.800 the solution UM, and I know, particularly in places that 0:18:11.880 --> 0:18:15.240 are the hardest hit in the developing world, UH, that 0:18:15.320 --> 0:18:18.399 women need to be engaged in the green economy. They 0:18:18.400 --> 0:18:22.600 can even be empowered economically with access to the green economy, 0:18:22.760 --> 0:18:26.159 so clean cook stones for example, or as you mentioned, 0:18:26.200 --> 0:18:32.000 the installation of solar panels or conservation programs electrical mini 0:18:32.040 --> 0:18:36.080 grids that they can manage. Why has it been so 0:18:36.480 --> 0:18:39.880 elusive to recognize the role that women have to play 0:18:39.920 --> 0:18:44.560 in in in climate change solutions. Well, you're completely right, 0:18:44.600 --> 0:18:46.320 and I'm so glad you brought this up because this 0:18:46.400 --> 0:18:48.639 is something that is obviously very near and dear to 0:18:48.680 --> 0:18:52.040 my own heart as a woman as well. Women are 0:18:52.080 --> 0:18:56.359 disproportionately affected by climate impacts, especially in low income countries. 0:18:56.400 --> 0:19:01.360 As disaster strikes, as droughts get longer and longer, UM 0:19:01.600 --> 0:19:06.160 risk of child marriage increases, UM women are are left 0:19:06.200 --> 0:19:08.120 picking up the pieces as they can no longer feed 0:19:08.160 --> 0:19:12.280 their family. When UM climate change tips the balance in 0:19:12.320 --> 0:19:17.400 an already failing state over into refugee crises or exacerbates 0:19:17.440 --> 0:19:20.840 pre existing crises that are already there, the first things 0:19:20.880 --> 0:19:23.439 to go are the public education system, in the public 0:19:23.480 --> 0:19:26.680 health system and all of a sudden, something as as 0:19:27.040 --> 0:19:29.480 natural as having a baby can become a life threatening 0:19:29.520 --> 0:19:32.119 event if you lack just basic health services that we 0:19:32.160 --> 0:19:35.840 take for granted every day. So just as woman are 0:19:35.840 --> 0:19:39.800 disproportionately affected, though so too there are all kinds of 0:19:39.920 --> 0:19:45.000 amazing solutions that empower women, lift up woman, benefit women, 0:19:45.160 --> 0:19:49.040 and oh they help with climate change too. So education 0:19:49.160 --> 0:19:52.720 of women and girls, especially in low income countries, empowering 0:19:52.760 --> 0:19:56.560 women to make their own decisions as shareholder farmers um. 0:19:56.600 --> 0:19:58.600 In my book, I tell the story of Solar Sister, 0:19:58.680 --> 0:20:02.000 which works with women in Sub Saharan Africa, helping them 0:20:02.000 --> 0:20:04.600 to sell solar technology that can be used in places 0:20:04.640 --> 0:20:07.160 where they don't have access to a power grid, which 0:20:07.240 --> 0:20:10.439 enables children to do their lessons at night. UH. It 0:20:10.480 --> 0:20:13.520 allows women to uh, to feed their families and to 0:20:13.560 --> 0:20:17.119 gain an income. There's so many solutions that address gender 0:20:17.160 --> 0:20:20.720 equity and address climate change. To really with climate solutions, 0:20:21.119 --> 0:20:22.719 we need to be doing all those ones that have 0:20:22.760 --> 0:20:25.439 win win wins. Oh, and they also help with climate 0:20:25.520 --> 0:20:28.760 change as well. With with these solutions, it's like, well, 0:20:28.800 --> 0:20:31.280 why aren't we doing them? There's so many good reasons 0:20:31.320 --> 0:20:35.119 today to invest in low income communities, right, here in 0:20:35.160 --> 0:20:38.320 the US, to invest in low income countries, to invest 0:20:38.359 --> 0:20:41.360 in people who work hard and who feed their family 0:20:41.480 --> 0:20:44.640 and who want to go to school. And by investing 0:20:44.640 --> 0:20:47.560 in their lives today, we can invest in climate change 0:20:47.600 --> 0:20:50.920 tomorrow by helping them become more resilient and by helping 0:20:50.960 --> 0:20:54.719 them grow towards a clean energy future. Well said, you know, 0:20:54.840 --> 0:20:59.120 you're so enthusiastic when you speak about this, so energized. 0:20:59.440 --> 0:21:04.000 So come helling, And I wonder, what is your personal story? 0:21:04.040 --> 0:21:06.159 How did you get into this? What was your child 0:21:06.320 --> 0:21:11.000 like childhood like? Uh, did you think about becoming a 0:21:11.040 --> 0:21:15.040 climate scientist when you were young? No? I didn't, but 0:21:15.119 --> 0:21:18.520 I definitely thought about science. Um, and my child had 0:21:18.520 --> 0:21:23.840 absolutely influenced why and where I am today. So my 0:21:23.960 --> 0:21:27.400 dad was a science teacher and my grandmother, his mother, 0:21:27.480 --> 0:21:30.920 had a degree in science education. And she in fact 0:21:31.080 --> 0:21:35.000 named my father after the first female astrophysicist in Canada, 0:21:35.119 --> 0:21:38.640 Dr Bibert Douglas. So the apple did not fall far 0:21:38.720 --> 0:21:42.959 from the tree on that one. And in fact, growing 0:21:43.080 --> 0:21:45.840 up I I just grew up thinking that science was 0:21:45.880 --> 0:21:48.760 the coolest thing anybody could possibly study. Who doesn't want 0:21:48.800 --> 0:21:51.600 to know why the grass is green or why the 0:21:51.640 --> 0:21:54.320 sky is blue? Or why polar bears have black skin. 0:21:55.640 --> 0:21:59.879 So I was almost finished my undergraduate degree in i 0:22:00.000 --> 0:22:04.480 astronomy and physics yet again when I need an extra 0:22:04.560 --> 0:22:08.160 class to complete my breath requirements, and I looked around 0:22:08.240 --> 0:22:10.520 and there was a new class on climate change over 0:22:10.600 --> 0:22:12.880 the geography department. I thought, well, that looks interesting. Why 0:22:12.880 --> 0:22:16.480 not take it? So up until then, I had always 0:22:16.560 --> 0:22:19.679 thought of climate change as one of a group of 0:22:19.800 --> 0:22:25.960 environmental issues deforestation, bio diversity, loss, air pollution, climate change 0:22:26.200 --> 0:22:31.240 that we're real and we're concerning, but that environmentalist cared about, 0:22:31.280 --> 0:22:33.720 and environmentalists worked on, and the rest of us wished 0:22:33.720 --> 0:22:36.280 them well, sort of the way I thought about it. 0:22:37.119 --> 0:22:40.119 But when I took that class, I was completely shocked, 0:22:40.280 --> 0:22:42.399 first of all to find out that climate change was 0:22:42.480 --> 0:22:45.600 much more urgent than I had imagined. Second of all, 0:22:45.640 --> 0:22:48.120 to find out that climate science was the exact same 0:22:48.160 --> 0:22:51.560 physics that I've been learning in my physics and astronomy classes. 0:22:52.000 --> 0:22:53.399 I don't know what I thought it was, but I 0:22:53.440 --> 0:22:56.720 didn't think it was that. But then what really changed 0:22:56.720 --> 0:22:59.000 my life was when I found out that climate change 0:22:59.320 --> 0:23:04.879 is profoundly unfair. It disproportionately affects the poorest and the 0:23:04.920 --> 0:23:08.600 most marginalized people, whether they are living in a low 0:23:08.600 --> 0:23:12.920 income neighborhood rate here in Chicago or Houston, or whether 0:23:12.920 --> 0:23:15.080 they're living in sub Saharan Africa and some of the 0:23:15.080 --> 0:23:17.880