Why Care about the Polar Regions? These Polar Climate Ambassadors Will Tell You!
Our inaugural group of Polar Climate Ambassadors: Siya, Arnav, Alina, Janice, Ben and Bella.
Why Polar Climate Ambassadors? by Janice Yohannan, 2023 graduate of Nyack High School
Although climate change is becoming more widely discussed, when it comes to the polar regions, many people’s knowledge ends at polar bears. The polar regions are a critical aspect of the climate crisis, but polar science is not always accessible, especially to young students. The newly formed “Polar Climate Ambassadors” seeks to help close this gap in public knowledge. Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory’s “Polar Climate Ambassadors” summer program launched for the first time in July 2023, and is an exciting opportunity for high school students who are passionate about climate change to advocate and broaden public understanding of the polar regions. Funded by the GRate and GreenDrill science projects, six students immersed themselves in building polar literacy, and developing a deeper understanding of climate systems, career pathways, and science communication. The Polar Climate Ambassadors’ mission is to uplift how crucial the polar regions are to maintaining the balance of various Earth systems, as well as helping our communities understand the implications of the Arctic and Antarctic’s rapidly changing environments.
From conducting interviews, developing learning games, creating materials focused on visualizing data, and designing infographics and PSAs (Public Service Announcements), students learned ways to effectively communicate climate science, with an emphasis on encouraging their community members and peers to take action. They were simultaneously exposed to the growing polar academic field, and the presence and importance of the indigenous communities in the Arctic. Each student walked away with a profound excitement to fight climate change in their lives outside the program and greater awareness of the beauty and importance of the poles. Over several posts our students will share some of their products, and discuss their own takeaways from their experience in this program.
Youth Sue the State of Montana Over Climate Change, Our Meeting with Rikki Held! by Siya Balapal, student at Nanuet Senior High School
After 4 years passed since the initial cause of action was filed for the case Held v. Montana, history just unfolded in court! Essentially, 16 plaintiffs succeeded in suing their state, Montana, over failures related to climate change. Montana officials were proven to worsen climate conditions in Montana, therefore depriving the youth of their right to a clean and healthy environment. Not only was this a major turning point for climate litigation, but also for youth empowerment in government, something emphasized by these scientists in this clip below that our team compiled!
At the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, our Polar Climate Ambassadors group got the amazing opportunity and privilege to meet with Rikki Held this summer who was here for a few days working on some science research. Rikki’s last name labels the case as, at the age of 18, she was the only plaintiff who was a legal adult when the filing occurred. A 5th generation Montanan, Rikki grew up on her family farm and watched first-hand the impacts of climate change on their land. When air quality in her state continued being exceptionally low compared to the rest of the country, and harmful pollutants from nearby coal fire power plants were a constant presence in the air, she decided to help take a stand. Her decision moved her into a leadership role in the case, and she was called upon to provide evidence in court of how fossil fuel emissions took away the fundamental right of a clean and healthy environment.
Rikki is very committed, with a strength and sense of perseverance, but one thing that stood out to us was her ability to step forward to battle the state of Montana but then to step back and pursue other passions even as the case continued to progress. She soon will leave for a new opportunity with the Peace Corps, and it is incredibly valuable to see her continue with her life and move onto other things while the case, still an important passion of hers, continues. Note that it was soon after meeting her, that there was a ruling on the case in favor of the youth!
The case serves as a pioneer in environmental litigation that will very likely serve as a backbone to future cases as climate change becomes more and more encapsulating. Rikki also mentioned how the decision of this case may affect the decisions of upcoming cases such as those in Hawaii and other states. As such cases arise, I’ve become more hopeful about the status of our planet. It’s important to remember how important government action can be, and how youth and adults alike can have power over the direction of our legislation. But what can you specifically do?
Talking to Scientist: Raising Awareness on Important Topics in Polar Science by Alina Mundankel, student at Clarkstown High School South
Polar science is an ever growing field that plays a vital role in predicting the future impacts of climate change on a global scale. Researchers in this field endure numerous obstacles to gather information on the movement of ice sheets, polar ecology, sea level rise, and other topics that advance our understanding of the complex processes that make up our planet. As the poles continue to undergo rapid transformations due to rising temperatures, understanding the broader implications of environmental shifts and the impact these regions have on people is the first step towards change.
The Polar Climate Ambassadors Program this summer dedicated a portion of their time to conducting interviews of multiple scientists at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. We interviewed researchers from projects that included GreenDrill, GRate, Greenland Lakes, Greenland Rising and a few summer polar REU (Research Experience for Undergraduate) students. Through these interviews, we were able to get firsthand accounts of exciting fieldwork experiences, challenging and rewarding moments throughout the scientists’ careers, advice for students interested in polar science, and much more. We broke up our interviews into individual “Scientist Spotlight” videos and short compilation videos on topics that we found important to address (like ‘what can you do to fight climate change’ above).
One ‘Scientist Spotlight’ interview was with Nicolás Young, a scientist who is part of both the GreenDrill and the GRate Projects. He explained that both focus on fieldwork & modeling to explore the history of the Greenland Ice Sheet, yet at different time scales. We learned in several interviews that polar scientists require sufficient preparation and the ability to adapt in various environments in order to retrieve samples and successfully conduct fieldwork. Nicolás noted that “when you work in the Arctic nothing ever goes how you think it is going to go”! We were also interested in the scientists daily work routine when doing research at the poles. Known for their extreme temperatures and lack of precipitation, Nicolás noted that ‘You are almost guaranteed to lose weight, because the body burns so many calories trying to keep itself warm!’
Our scientist compilation video, “Advice for Future Scientists” (above) presents a variety of career pathways into polar science as shared through our interviews. Your interest for a topic can root from any experience you enjoyed: an internship, high school class, research, etc. It’s important to choose your career with an open mind and, most importantly, to ‘follow your heart’!
Our time with the scientists helped shed light on issues regarding the poles. One common message the scientists had was that the polar regions are changing at fast rates like never before. The Arctic has warmed nearly four times faster than the rest of the world over the past 43 years. Although we are not heavily impacted by these changes now, it will have an effect on our children and grandchildren in years to come. One of our goals this summer was to find ways to amplify this message to our local communities and education systems. The scientist interview videos would be used as an educational product to spread awareness on topics in polar science and educate people on how they could help mitigate the impacts of climate change. Whether it’s through small individual changes like consuming less or creating a more sustainable diet, or by more impactful ways like voting, every single person can do their part to slow the rate of global warming and climate change. My participation in this program allowed me to not only further my knowledge of polar science and meet numerous scientists in the field, but also to create awareness on climate change and get others involved!
“Polar Climate Ambassadors” is a new youth focused polar climate education initiative led by Margie Turrin, and funded by the GRate and GreenDrill science research projects. If you are interested in learning more about this project, please contact Margie.
